New treatment could extend survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients
pharmafile | October 20, 2020 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | als, pharma
Research into an experimental drug combination shows that it could potentially extend the lives for sufferers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
This is according to a recently published study in Muscle & Nerve. In a clinical trial of 137 ALS patients, it found that those who took the drug combination known as AMX0035 lived a median of 6.5 months longer than those who received a placebo.
A previous clinical trial had found that this drug combination had slown progression of the disease over a period of six months. Findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine found this drug also slowed the progression of ALS paralysis by 25% more than a placebo.
The most recent study’s leader, Dr Sabrina Paganoni, said the results provide substantial evidence supporting the role of AMX0035 in treating ALS, adding: “The next steps depend on ongoing discussion with regulatory agencies.”
Dr Merit Cudkowicz, the Director of the Center for ALS, also commented: “This is one of the first studies to show effect on both function and survival. We are hopeful that this is just the beginning of many new treatments for ALS.”
ALS is a group of rare neurological diseases that involve the nerve cells that control movements, including those used for walking and speaking. It is a progressive disease that gets worse over time; there is currently no cure and there is a lack of viable treatments to halt or reverse the progression of the condition.
Conor Kavanagh
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