Margarida Azevedo, MSc,  —

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals has enrolled 50 of the 120 patients it hopes to obtain for a confirmatory Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating NP001 as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Completion of enrollment is expected in mid-2017, with Neuraltus shooting for results in early 2018. Eighteen clinical sites across North…

Patients with chronic conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are as concerned as the general population about health care costs, but see benefits in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that the healthy may have overlooked, a poll indicates. These findings are reported in a new large-scale poll assessing patient…

Swiss drugmaker GeNeuro has signed an agreement with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) — part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) — to advance studies of its novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, GeNeuro will…

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics has validated the cryopreservation process for its NurOwn stem cells to be used in an upcoming Phase 3 clinical trial in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the validation study researchers compared NurOwn (MSC-NTF cells) derived from fresh mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to those derived from…

Flex Pharma said it plans to prioritize developing its clinical programs in neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and peripheral neuropathies like Charcot-Marie Tooth (CMT). One or two proof-of-concept, Phase 2 clinical trials are planned for this year in the United States to evaluate the company’s transient receptor…

The European Union’s Joint Programme — Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) invites researchers in 20 countries to work together in conducting and analyzing projects into various neurodegenerative diseases, so that they might identify common links and underlying mechanisms. Such “pathway ” analyses, the JPND said in a release, “could lead…

The Duke University ALS Clinic and the Freelon Foundation have announced a partnership to expand the school’s research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The partnership will involve establishing an endowed professorship, providing funding for clinical trials, and increasing the number of patients the clinic can treat. Phil Freelon, who founded the Freelon Foundation…

A new program at the University of Pennsylvania will pursue ways to use gene therapy and genome editing to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Program of Excellence for Motor Neuron Disease, launched by researchers at the Orphan Disease Center (ODC) in the university’s Perelman School of Medicine, will receive…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow MonoSol Rx to use a new form of its Riluzole therapy, Riluzole Oral Soluble Film (Riluzole OSF), to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) before the agency approves the new therapy. The FDA granted MonoSol Rx’s request that Riluzole OSF receive Investigational New Drug status, which…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will honor Pete Frates, a former university baseball player who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),  with its 2017 Inspiration Award for his perseverance, dedication and determination, and for being a role model and source of hope to others. The NCAA Honors Celebration will take place…