News

Agamree becomes 1st approved DMD treatment in Canada

Health Canada has approved Agamree (vamorolone) to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients ages 4 and older, making Agamree the first approved DMD treatment in Canada. Canada’s approval is the sixth for Agamree to treat DMD. The therapy is approved in the U.S., the U.K.,…

Exon-skipping therapy shows promise for DMD44

Delpacibart zotadirsen (del-zota), an investigational exon-skipping therapy from Avidity Biosciences, is demonstrating the potential to reverse disease progression in boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amenable to exon 44 skipping, or DMD44. That’s according to one-year data from the Phase 1/2 EXPLORE44 trial (NCT05670730)…

LGMD gene therapy gets FDA orphan drug designation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to CRD-003, an investigational gene therapy for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i/R9 (LGMDR9). The FDA gives this designation to experimental therapies designed to treat rare diseases, defined as conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.

Exon-skipping DMD therapy gets FDA orphan drug status

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to NS-051/NCNP-04, an exon-skipping therapy designed to treat certain people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The FDA gives this designation to experimental treatments designed to improve care for rare disorders, specifically conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people…

DM1 gene therapy trial seeks patients ages 10-50

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing SAR446268, an experimental gene therapy for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), is enrolling patients. The trial, dubbed BrAAVe (NCT06844214), is expected to enroll approximately 32 DM1 patients aged 10-50. The study is actively recruiting participants at sites in Florida, New York,…

Hormone combination therapy delivers gains for men with FSHD

A combined regimen of testosterone and growth hormone led to significant improvements in muscle mass, strength, and mobility in men with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) in a clinical trial. The Phase 1/2 STARFISH trial (NCT03123913) evaluated the combination therapy’s safety, tolerability, and potential efficacy in men with FSHD.

Long-term Duvyzat helps maintain motor skills in Duchenne MD

Long-term treatment with Duvyzat (givinostat) delays the loss of key motor skills in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), published results from an open-label extension study show. “The sustained benefit observed across functional outcomes reinforces the potential of Duvyzat to meaningfully alter the course of the disease,” Scott…

3 scientists honored for laying groundwork for DMD treatments

Note: This story was updated Sept. 10, 2025, to correct the secondary headline from Columbia University to the University of Iowa. Columbia University awarded the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to three scientists whose research has helped lay the groundwork to develop new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This…