Andrea Lobo,  —

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to ISX9-CPC, IPS Heart’s experimental stem cell therapy for heart problems in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the company announced in an email sent to Muscular Dystrophy News Today. This FDA designation aims to accelerate the development…

Solve FSH, a venture philanthropic organization, has invested $3 million to support the development of Armatus Bio‘s microRNA-based therapy ARM-201 as a treatment for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). ARM-201 is designed to block the production of DUX4, the protein that is abnormally produced in people with FSHD, a…

CureDuchenne will host its annual Futures National Conference May 22-25 in San Antonio, as part of an effort to provide education and offer connections to members of the Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy communities. Under the theme “Together We Thrive,” the event will share information on research and…

Health Canada has agreed to review an application by Kye Pharmaceuticals seeking the approval of vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — and granted it priority review. Priority review shortens the review period from the standard 10 months to six. It’s given to therapies that have the…

An independent data monitoring committee (DMC) favors continuing dosing Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl) to people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in ongoing clinical trials, according to developer Sarepta Therapeutics. The determination comes after recruitment and dosing in certain clinical trials were paused after a young man who…

Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (Askbio) has dosed the first participant in the second group of a Phase 1/2 trial testing AB-1003, an experimental gene therapy for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type 2I/R9. The Phase 1/2 LION-CS101 trial (NCT05230459) is assessing AB-1003’s safety and tolerability in adults with LGMD2I/R9. Enrollment…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Capricor Therapeutics’ application seeking approval of deramiocel — a  cell therapy developed by the biotech company to treat heart muscle disease in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — and granted it priority review that will speed the agency’s…

Adolescents and young adults with Duchenne (DMD) or Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) who have more siblings typically report being better prepared to transition to adult life, a new study has found. Findings show people with DMD or BMD had the most difficulty with activities of daily living, education,…

Once a week treatment with a corticosteroid was seen to lower some biomarkers of muscle damage and inflammation, helping to improve muscle function in people with some forms of muscular dystrophy, according to a pilot study in the U.S. Prednisone was given once weekly for six months to 19…

Note: This story was updated Jan. 17, 2025, to clarify the company’s comments on gene therapies, which generally deliver a smaller form of dystrophin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted IPS Heart’s GIVI-MPC — a stem cell therapy designed to make new muscle tissue in people…