Margarida Azevedo, MSc,  —

Cytokinetics has enrolled the first patient in the VIGOR-ALS extension trial (NCT02936635), which will assess the effects of tirasemtiv in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who participated in the Phase 3 VITALITY-ALS (NCT02496767) study. Tirasemtiv is a novel skeletal muscle activator that triggers the muscle troponin complex, increasing…

The Les Turner ALS Foundation had about 7,000 people on more than 200 teams support those affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the Les Turner ALS Walk for Life, held Sept. 18 in Chicago. The Les Turner ALS Foundation was founded in 1977 to support research, patient care, and education about…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated  MediciNova’s Ibudilast (MN-166) an orphan drug as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ibudilast is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable small molecule phosphodiesterase (PDE)-4 and -10 inhibitor and a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) inhibitor that suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes neurotrophic factors.

Augie’s Quest announced the 11th annual ‘Tradition of Hope’ gala event will be held Oct. 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to raise funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. Augie’s Quest is a cure-driven nonprofit effort dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for ALS. The effort…

AB Science has been invited to present new preclinical studies on masitinib in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at four international meetings this year. These were the main findings from the series of preclinical studies: Proof of concept data from the preclinical trials of masitinib showed that the investigational drug “targets…

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin will head to Latin America to investigate whether the probability of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is reduced in people with mixed ancestry. This new project will examine the hypothesis that mixed ancestral backgrounds might protect a person from developing ALS. Researchers will set up new…

AB Science recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted a conditional marketing authorization application for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor masitinib to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB Science develops protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins that are key for signaling pathways within cells. It has been shown that blocking…

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals has initiated the second Phase 2 clinical trial of NP001 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with the goal of confirming the clinical findings of the previous Phase 2 study in ALS patients with elevated levels of baseline inflammation. The study is currently recruiting…

Cigarette smoking may speed progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and reduce survival in patients with the disease, according to a new collaborative study from Italian universities and research institutes. The study, “Influence of cigarette smoking on ALS outcome: a population-based study” was published in The Journal of Neurology…

Flex Pharma has begun a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing FLX-787 in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of the study, taking place in Australia, is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FLX-787 in treating ALS-related leg cramps and/or spasticity. Patients with ALS — a…