News

Pegcetacoplan fails to improve ALS outcomes in MERIDIAN trial

Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ investigational therapy pegcetacoplan (APL-2) has failed to improve a combined assessment of function and survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to top-line data from the MERIDIAN Phase 2 clinical trial. While the treatment was well tolerated, consistent with its established safety profile,…

All MLB teams playing on Lou Gehrig Day June 2

Today marks the third annual Major League Baseball (MLB) Lou Gehrig Day, set aside to honor the legacy of the famed New York Yankees first baseman whose career was shortened by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). For the first time since the event began, all 30 MLB teams have…

EMA committee leaning toward not recommending AMX0035 approval

A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is leaning toward not recommending a conditional approval of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ AMX0035 for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the European Union. The drug is already marketed in the U.S. under the name Relyvrio (sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol) and…

Gout medication decreases risk of ALS and other diseases: Study

Allopurinol and carvedilol, two medications respectively used to manage gout and high blood pressure, significantly reduce the chances of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests. “These findings suggest a possible new direction for repurposing or developing medications for neuroprotection,” Brad…

PatientsLikeMe ALS contribution expands free PRO-ACT database

The data platform PatientsLikeMe (PLM) has made its de-identified amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient database available to scientists around the world to advance clinical research in the neurodegenerative disorder. Part of a collaboration between PLM and the Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the…

Development of WVE-004 to cease after Phase 1/2 trial failure

WVE-004, Wave Life Sciences‘ investigational treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), significantly reduces toxic proteins associated with C9orf72 genetic mutations, but that doesn’t seem to translate into functional status gains in patients. Based on findings from the Phase 1b/2a FOCUS-C9 trial (NCT04931862), the company has decided to discontinue developing…

Some sporadic ALS patients have mutation causing other diseases

A sizable portion of people with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) carry a genetic mutation known to cause other neurological disorders, a new study shows. “This suggests shared risk factors among these diseases, shared mechanisms that cause nerves to die – and perhaps shared therapeutic strategies in the future,”…