News

MDA 2023: Walking, other functions retained longer on Radicava

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients treated with Radicava (edaravone) tend to go longer before reaching disease milestones such as needing a walking aid or breathing support, according to an analysis of insurance data. The findings were presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical and Scientific Conference in…

Anew’s ALS gene therapy shows promise in mice

Anew Medical‘s targeted gene therapy candidate, ANEW-202, eased multiple mechanisms associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), leading to improved muscle function and survival in a mouse model of the disease. The gene therapy, licensed on an exclusive worldwide basis from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in Spain, is…

QurAlis secures $88M to advance ALS therapies

QurAlis has secured $88 million to advance the clinical development of QRL-101 and QRL-201, its lead candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new series B financing, a second round of funding after the company met certain research milestones, brings the total investment to $143.5 million. The proceeds will…

Radicava ORS, oral form of edaravone, available to US veterans

Radicava ORS, an oral formulation of Radicava (edaravone), is now available to U.S. veterans living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the therapy’s developer, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA), announced. The therapy was added to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Formulary (VANF) in June 2022, shortly after its…

ALS researcher Merit Cudkowicz to receive MDA legacy award

Renowned neurologist and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) investigator Merit Cudkowicz, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital has been named this year’s recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Legacy Award for Achievement in Clinical Research. The award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in neuromuscular research, will be presented March 20…

CNM-Au8 found to delay clinical worsening in ALS HEALEY trial

Treatment with CNM-Au8 significantly delayed clinical worsening in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to new exploratory analyses from the therapy’s arm of the HEALEY ALS platform trial. The experimental therapy, from Clene Nanomedicine, had previously been found to reduce the risk of death by more…

FDA names RAG-17, targeting ALS gene mutations, an orphan drug

RAG-17, an investigational therapy from Ractigen Therapeutics to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has been designated an orphan drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Orphan drug status is given to medicines intended to treat life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 individuals…