FDA Controversy Over ALS Drug Trial Highlights Urgent Need For Further Research

In a highly unusual move, last Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement calling on pharmaceutical firm Genervon to release all data pertaining to a recent small study involving the company’s ALS drug candidate GM604. In its statement, the FDA affirms that it…

Cyberdyne Inc. recently applied for a marketing authorization of HAL® for Medical Use (Lower Limb Type) for orphan neural-muscular diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and muscular dystrophy as a new medical device under Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law. In Japan, it is required that new medical devices under the…

The ALS Association together with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital recently announced in a press release a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in a clinical trial to assess a potential therapy with an anti-epileptic drug in…

The documentary feature film Transfatty Lives focuses on how it is to live with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The film’s world premiere will be launched at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film by Patrick O’Brien, who is both the filmmaker and main subject of the…

To better understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine was able to transform skin cells from ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease patients into brain cells affected by this severe condition. The researchers deposited the human-made cells derived from the study into the first…

Researchers at Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University and Rabin Medical Center in Israel discovered a possible link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and sensitivity to gluten. The study was recently published in the journal JAMA Neurology and is entitled “…

Researchers at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany recently revealed in the journal Scientific Reports the finding that low-frequency magnetic fields do not have a detrimental effect or aggravate the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS in mice. The study…

Researchers from the Institute of Pathobiochemistry at the Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, have recently released results from a study in which they used animal experiments to assess the possibility that low-frequency alternating magnetic fields (LFMF), such as those generated by overhead power lines, are a…

It makes sense that when healthcare providers work together, better outcomes can result for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A new study supports this idea by showing that coordinated networks of care for ALS can result in fewer trips to the hospital, less deterioration and an expanded lifespan. The study, titled…

Patients who suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are joining efforts in new ways to support the approval of legislation known as the “Right to Try” law. After a series of online forums and petitions, an ALS patient was granted an audience at Capitol Hill to read a letter about…