Radicava (edaravone), an intravenous treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is now commercially available in Canada, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Canada (MTP-CA) has announced. The treatment was approved in Canada in October 2018, and has since been under the regulatory process that determines how, where, and at what…
Radicava Now Commercially Available in Canada, MTP-CA Announces
With $300K Grant, ALS Never Surrender Foundation Launches Mobile App to Track Disease Progression
The ALS Association has awarded the nonprofit ALS Never Surrender Foundation a $300,000 grant to bring its precision point mobile technology app to patient progression research trials nationwide. Called ALS iNVOLVE/eNGAGE, the application enables the remote tracking of vitals including muscle control, dexterity, speech, breathing and…
Wartime Living Tests Marriages
Sometimes I’ll pick up a magazine in a grocery store checkout line and see a marriage article about sex or the division of household chores. I’ll sigh wistfully. Healthy people problems. In “Flying Without Wings,” Arnold Beisser describes his journey to become a psychiatrist, which was nearly impossible after…
Exercise Helps to Slow Motor Neuron Loss in ALS, Study Suggests, But Type of Activity May Be Key
Exercise appears to benefit people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by normalizing molecular changes that occur at the junction of nerves and muscles, but by degrees that depend on the type of exercise, a study in a mouse model of ALS suggests. While running and swimming both lessened the profound molecular…
“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” —Bob Dylan Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Southwest Florida Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraising gala, “Toast…
The Power of My ALS Role Models
Do you have an ALS role model? I do. I have a whole collection of ALS role models, and each one helps me power through my day. I’ve always believed in the importance of a role model; someone whose success or behavior sets an example for me to follow. Someone…
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has approved a new patent application that will allow MediciNova to use its investigational therapy ibudilast (MN-166) for the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Canada. The patent covers a wide range of oral ibudilast doses in people…
AcuraStem has triggered $3 million in Phase 2 funding from its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, which the biotechnology company will use to start the second stage of its AS-1 program. That patient-derived stem cell therapy program is aimed at…
Phase 3 Trial of NurOwn, Cell Therapy for ALS, Gets Thumbs Up in Safety Review by Independent Board
The Phase 3 clinical trial testing BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics‘ cell therapy candidate NurOwn in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients is continuing as planned after a second safety assessment by the trial’s independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) found no reasons to stop, the company announced. The…
Imagining Our Lives Without ALS
My husband, Todd, recently asked me, “What do you think our life would be like if I hadn’t gotten ALS?” I’ve done this mental exercise before, but never with him. He’d be working and trying to advance his career. Our two kids would be in school. I might be working…
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