News

A Phase 1 clinical trial of BBP-418, a potential first oral therapy for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i (LGMD2i), has dosed its first healthy volunteer, ML Bio Solutions announced. The company also announced that children and adults with a confirmed LGMD2i genetic diagnosis are invited to join a natural history…

People with neuromuscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy are not at a higher risk of acquiring COVID-19, but they do face greater challenges should they become infected. Creating tailored plans to manage risk and adhering to them is especially important. This is the broad take-home message of a…

The European Commission has granted orphan drug designation to viltolarsen, a treatment for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amenable to exon 53 skipping, Nippon Shinyaku announced in a press release. The designation is given to medicinal compounds meant to treat rare conditions that are life-threatening or…

The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) recently created a Rare Disease Diversity Coalition focused on reducing racial disparities in the rare disease community. Getting a timely and accurate diagnosis for a disease that few people — sometimes even physicians — have heard of is challenging on its own merit.

A single administration of the gene therapy SRP-9003 at a low dose continues to lead to significant improvements in functional measures in three children with limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type 2E, one-year data from a Phase 1/2 trial show. When administered at a high dose in three…

Santhera Pharmaceuticals announced the signing of two agreements with Rutgers University related to the development of potential gene therapies for LAMA2-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy (LAMA2 MD). Included are a license agreement as well as a collaboration with Peter Yurchenco, MD, PhD, a professor at Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson Medical…

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) and Duchenne UK have joined forces to offer up to $1 million in funding for gene therapy research in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The organizations are specifically looking for proposals that address the immune system’s response to gene therapy, a major challenge…