News

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…

Scientists develop way to make DMD treatments work better

Researchers have developed a way to enhance the efficacy of exon-skipping therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and the approach showed promise in a mouse model of the disease. The study, “A Combinatorial Oligonucleotide Therapy to Improve Dystrophin Restoration and Dystrophin-Deficient Muscle Health,” was published in Molecular Therapy…

Exondys 51 may help protect DMD heart function: Study

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treatment Exondys 51 (eteplirsen) may help protect the heart as well as muscles used for movement, a study found. The treatment slowed heart function decline, raising the possibility it could lower the risk of cardiomyopathy, a serious condition that can lead to heart failure.

Focusing on ‘strength’ this Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month

Across the U.S., the neuromuscular disease community is preparing to mark Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month this September, with a series of events and activities aimed at spotlighting muscular dystrophy (MD) and other related conditions. These efforts, organizers say, also seek to raise vital funds to support all individuals in…

Scientists map genetic mutations linked to collagen 6-related MD

Researchers have developed a detailed molecular model for the structure of type VI collagen and identified where genetic mutations linked to certain forms of muscular dystrophy (MD) might influence the protein. Findings from their study could ultimately help scientists better understand the mechanisms underlying types of MD that affect…

Early data for experimental DM1 therapy SRP-1003 coming soon

Preliminary data are expected this year for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing the investigational therapy SRP-1003 in people with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), according to an announcement from Sarepta Therapeutics. The trial recently hit one of two prespecified enrollment targets, prompting a review of safety data.

Turkish company to sell Duchenne MD steroid therapy Agamree

The steroid therapy Agamree (vamorolone), which is used for helping to preserve muscle function in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), will be sold and promoted in Turkey by Gen İlaç ve Sağlık Ürünleri San. ve Tic. A.Ş. (GEN), per an agreement with Santhera Pharmaceuticals. “As leaders…