ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Numerous people have been battling with the disease, hoping that a solution will be available.
Now, they’re prayers have just been answered. Not only the best treatment facilities are available, but a drug that can treat ALS is now in the United States.
Read on to know more about it.
For the first time in more than 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat ALS.
Radicava, an infusion therapy developed in Japan, is now available in the United States and it has proved to be very effective for patients.
“It’s a great day for the ALS community. It’s full of hope,” Nancy Frates said. “This drug has been proven to slow progression down by 33 percent in newly diagnosed.”
The mother of Pete Frates, the man who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral on social media, has been working for this day for more than a year. She said the FDA fast-tracked the approval of Radicava, foregoing a clinical trial in America, saving money and — more important for ALS patients — time.
“Does it work in later-stage patients? The answer to that is we don’t know because we don’t have the data,” Frates said. Read more here.
