Andrea Lobo,  —

Articles by Andrea Lobo

Vatiquinone not likely to raise cardiac risk with FA, study finds

A study of heart health with vatiquinone, an investigational oral Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) therapy, found no increased risk of cardiac problems in healthy adults, including when doses about 3.5 times above the therapeutic dose were evaluated, scientists reported. Blood levels of vatiquinone did not correlate with changes in…

FDA names stem cell therapy for FA, PPL-001, rare pediatric disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given rare pediatric disease designation to PPL-001, Papillon Therapeutics’ investigational cell therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). This status is granted to potential medicines or therapy approaches meant to treat serious or life-threatening diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in…

LX2006 gene therapy now on FDA fast track for heart disease in FA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put Lexeo Therapeutics’ LX2006, a gene therapy candidate for heart disease in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), on the fast track for development. The award of fast track status aims to expedite the development and regulatory review of investigational therapies…

EU committee favors approval of Skyclarys for FA in Europe

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) — an arm of the European Medicines Agency — is recommending the approval of Skyclarys (omaveloxolone) for treating Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) in people ages 16 and older in the European Union. The European Commission now will review the CHMP’s…

Short-read genome sequencing test may help diagnose atypical FA

Short-read genome sequencing (SR-GS), a test that can identify difficult-to-detect mutations, may help to correctly diagnose atypical Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) in people whose symptoms and family history are not indicative of FA, a study in Germany shows. The study, “Short-read genome sequencing allows ‘en route’ diagnosis of patients…