The corticosteroid Emflaza outperforms prednisone at slowing disease progression in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to new research presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) 2022 Annual Meeting being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The research was funded by PTC Therapeutics, which markets Emflaza. Corticosteroids…

The experimental therapy vamorolone can improve motor function significantly in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), without stunting their growth and with fewer side effects compared to standard corticosteroids, according to 18-month data from a Phase 2 trial and its extension study. Findings were reported in the study, “…

Initially approved in the United States for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients age 5 and older, the corticosteroid Emflaza is now available for those as young as 2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved PTC Therapeutics’ supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the…

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) issued a draft report raising serious concerns about the cost-effectiveness of Sarepta‘s exon-skipping therapies Exondys 51 (eteplirsen), and the investigational golodirsen, as well as the corticosteroid Emflaza (deflazacort; by PTC Therapeutics), for treating…

Long-term use of steroid treatment is linked to increased weight gain in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are unable to walk, a study shows. Recognition of the effect of steroid therapy on patients’ weight and growth progression can have important implications on treatment management and early diagnosis of…

Treatment with Emflaza (deflazacort) is better at preserving motor function in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) than standard of care corticosteroid treatments, according to a re-analysis of data from two clinical trials. The new findings follow a reassessment of pooled data obtained in the placebo group…

Researchers found that giving Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients glucocorticoid therapy keeps them mobile for a longer period of time and reduces their risk of dying. Their study, “Long-term effects of glucocorticoids on function, quality of life, and survival in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a prospective cohort study,”…

Long after it arrived elsewhere, Emflaza (deflazacort) became the first corticosteroid that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved to treat all forms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy — in February 2017. But its U.S. introduction was far from smooth. In fact, it took three more months and a change of…

Experts provided an overview of the many approaches to counteract the loss of muscle mass, inflammation, fibrosis, calcium overload, oxidative stress, and ischemia (inadequate blood supply) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), without actually targeting the cause, a mutation in the dystrophin gene. The review, “Pharmacological therapeutics targeting the secondary…

Deflazacort delays loss of ambulation (LOA) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients by an average of 3.8 years more than standard of care corticosteroid treatments prednisone/prednisolone, post-hoc analyses of a Phase 3 clinical trial found. The new conclusions follow a reassessment of data obtained in the placebo group of the completed ACT DMD clinical trial (NCT01826487). The goal…