ALS patients and researchers celebrate the news of Health Canada approving a new ALS drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, the first regulator in the world to do so
Health Canada has become the first regulator in the world to approve a new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drug, only the third therapy for treatment of the fatal motor neuron condition to be authorized in 20 years.
ALS patients and researchers celebrated the news, highlighting how few treatment options exist for those living with the disease, which progressively robs people of their ability to move, speak, swallow and breathe. About 1,000 Canadians are diagnosed with ALS each year and another 1,000 die of the disease annually. Eighty per cent of those with ALS die within two to five years of diagnosis. The new drug, Albrioza, is a combination of sodium phenylbutyrate and ursodoxicoltaurine. In a clinical trial, it appeared to help slow the rate of decline in people who took it compared with those who received a placebo.
While Health Canada gave Albrioza the green light, it did so on a conditional basis, provided the company provide supplemental data on safety and efficacy after the completion of larger clinical studies. The conditional approval, which is often done to allow patients access to potentially promising drugs, could be revoked if the larger trial doesn’t show a clear benefit.
Angela Genge, medical director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute, said what some are interpreting as a modest benefit is actually significant when it comes to ALS. Few drugs exist to slow progression of the disease and Albrioza appears to do just that, allowing some patients to maintain certain abilities for several additional months. Dr.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Amylyx gets first approval for ALS drug from CanadaCanada has approved Amylyx Pharmaceuticals' treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease, the drugmaker said on Monday, the first such approval for the oral drug.
Read more »
Public asked to avoid Lakeshore Hospital ER this weekend: Montreal health officials - Montreal | Globalnews.caOther Montreal hospitals also currently have alarming occupancy rates — the Royal Victoria is at 155 per cent capacity as of Saturday and the Jewish General is at 187 per cent.
Read more »
U.S. health officials say Pfizer COVID-19 appears effective for kids under 5Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children.
Read more »
Canadian doctor leads World Health Organization's fight against monkeypoxDr. Rosamund Lewis, the WHO\u0027s technical lead for monkeypox, grew up in Ontario before studying medicine at McGill University.
Read more »
Opinion: Reality check: Airport waits are an inconvenience. Health care waits are a travestyHow is it that we can get so worked up about wait times at airports while remaining seemingly indifferent to wait times in hospitals – which are so much worse?
Read more »
Amylyx gets first approval for ALS drug from CanadaCanada has approved Amylyx Pharmaceuticals' treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease, the drugmaker said on Monday, the first such approval for the oral drug.
Read more »