The FDA has approved the first new drug for ALS in 22 years
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first new drug for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 22 years, abc7NY reports.
The drug is called Radicava, also known as edaravone. According to MT Pharma, the drug slowed the decline of physical function by 33%. Tests conducted in Japan found that pacients who received edaravone experienced a smaller decline in their level of daily functioning compared to pacients who were administered a placebo.
The only other drug specifically for the treatment of ALS is riluzole, which was approved for use in the United States in 1995.
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Eric Bastings, the deputy director of the FDA’s neurology products division, said in a statement taht “After learning about the use of edaravone to treat ALS in Japan, we rapidly engaged with the drug developer about filing a marketing application in the United States.”
“This is the first new treatment approved by the FDA for ALS in many years, and we are pleased that people with ALS will now have an additional option.”
ALS is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that make muscles work. ALS affected nerve cells lose their ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which leads to paralysis and death.
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