Clinical trial shows treatment is ‘transformative’ for babies with spinal muscular atrophy

Infants with the most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) were more likely to show gains in motor function and were 47 percent more likely to survive without permanent assisted ventilation support when treated with a new medication, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug, nusinersen, performed so well that the study was stopped early and the treatment was approved shortly thereafter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all patients with this progressive neuromuscular disorder.

• Source: sciencedaily
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• November 17, 2017