News

Astellas Pharma recently agreed to acquire Audentes Therapeutics, a move it expects will result in faster development of potentially best-in-class therapies for rare neuromuscular diseases, including muscular dystrophy (MD). Audentes’ vectorized exon-skipping technology — which uses a modified adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to allow cells to…

Throughout 2019, Muscular Dystrophy News Today brought you daily coverage of important discoveries, treatment developments, clinical trials, and other important events related to muscular dystrophy. As we look forward to bringing you more news this year, we present the 10 most-read stories of 2019. No. 10 – “Sarepta…

The newly approved therapy Vyondys 53 (golodirsen) is available for immediate distribution to treat people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amenable to exon 53 skipping, according to the medicine’s developer Sarepta Therapeutics. In an email reply to Muscular Dystrophy News Today, a spokeswoman added that, similar to Exondys 51 (eteplirsen, also…

Treatment with gene therapy candidate SGT-001 may lead to clinically meaningful improvements for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), new data from two participants in the Phase 1/2 IGNITE DMD trial suggest. Solid Biosciences, which developed the gene therapy, is currently working with the U.S. Food…

The experimental therapy ATL1102 is safe and continues to show evidence of improved upper muscle strength and function in all nine non-ambulatory boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in a nearly complete Phase 2 trial in Australia, updated data show. Final results from the open-label study, testing ATL1102…

Following its failure to increase dystrophin levels of patients in an early-stage clinical trial, Wave Life Sciences has discontinued development of the investigational exon-skipping therapy suvodirsen for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Lack of dystrophin, an essential protein for healthy muscles, causes DMD. Patients may…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized use of the first test intended to facilitate newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). “Diagnostics that can safely and effectively screen newborns can help health care professionals identify and discuss potential treatment options with parents and caregivers before symptoms…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has conditionally approved Vyondys 53 (golodirsen) to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients amenable to exon 53 skipping. This accelerated approval comes less than four months after the FDA issued a complete response letter rejecting Sarepta Therapeutics’ application for…

GPM Investments, the sixth largest convenience store chain in the U.S., is running its “Tis the Season for Giving” holiday campaign throughout December to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Since 2012, the company’s partnership with the association has generated more than $1.2 million, which has been used…

With so much recent publicity surrounding gene therapy, it’s no surprise that the topic was a major focus of the recent 2019 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. From diagnosis and clinical trial design to manufacturing, pricing strategies, and ethical concerns, gene therapy — both its high…