The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tiglutik, an oral suspension of riluzole, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Rilutek (riluzole, by Sanofi) has been available in the U.S. as 50 mg tablets since December 1995. However, ALS patients can have difficulties with…

With shared goals and a special connection, PopSockets has joined The ALS Association’s Every Drop Adds Up campaign to bring individuals and organizations together to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  The association cites the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge four years ago, which raised millions to support…

“You just got lesson No. 1: Don’t think; it can only hurt the ball club.” That was the advice that Kevin Costner, who portrayed baseball player “Crash” Davis, dispensed to Tim Robbins, who portrayed rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh, in the 1988 film “Bull Durham.” Ordinarily, I opt…

The Wadsworth Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) can help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients who are severely disabled to communicate while in the home, a study reports, especially those in fairly stable health. Improvements underway to this system, which relies on brain signals rather than muscles necessary for speaking or writing, are…

Hello again! I’ve just returned from my summer vacation — my month-long vacation from ALS! No, I didn’t suddenly escape my disease or experience a miraculous recovery; my ALS is most certainly still here. My vacation was a mental vacation; an abstention from any and all ALS-associated media;…

Cytokinetics has awarded the ALS Association Golden West Chapter with its first communications fellowship, part of a company initiative directed at nonprofit organizations to increase public education and awareness of their programs and care services, as well as to elevate patients’ voices. “As a longstanding partner…

Requip (ropinirole), a medication already approved to treat Parkinson’s disease, may be a potential therapeutic agent for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a preclinical study. The study, “Modeling sporadic ALS in iPSC-derived motor neurons identifies a potential therapeutic agent,” was published in the journal…

The balance between copper isotopes (variants) – but not copper levels – is disrupted in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a recent study. Copper isotope composition potentially may be used as a biomarker of ALS, distinguishing it from other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. The study, “…

Nasal administration of two neuroprotective proteins, called Activin A and SerpinB2, reduced brain damage in a mouse model of stroke, a new study shows. These findings  suggest that nasal delivery of these proteins also may have clinical relevance for neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s and…