News

I’m ready to welcome my new baby with ‘courage and grace’

On a hot, Texas afternoon, Madelyn Raynsford’s home buzzes with the practical chaos of preparing for a new life: half-packed boxes, baby gear spread out, her two dogs lounging nearby. Her computer screen is filled with tabs researching safe and adaptive feeding options. Baby bottles top the list — not…

Imaging shows low MC1 protein levels in FA patients’ hearts

Levels of mitochondrial complex 1 (MC1) — a group of proteins essential to the function of mitochondria, cells’ powerhouses — are lower than normal in the hearts of people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a small study showed. The findings indicate that imaging of MC1 could be a useful biomarker…

FDA rejects PTC request for vatiquinone approval for FA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve the oral therapy vatiquinone for treating children and adults with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). In a complete response letter, the regulatory agency said it would not approve vatiquinone at this time because of a lack of adequate data…

CDA recommends coverage for Skyclarys, but only at a lower cost

A committee of Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) has recommended that insurers should cover the cost of Skyclarys (omaveloxolone) for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), but only under certain conditions, including a substantial reduction in the drug’s cost. “The CDA recommendation represents an important step toward changing that reality by…

Research links genetic ‘spelling errors’ to FA disease severity

Genetic mutations causing Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) and influencing disease severity may be more complex than previously understood, according to research from the University of Oklahoma. Sanjay Bidichandani, PhD, genetics section chief at the university’s medical college, used a new genetic sequencing technique to find “spelling errors” in the FXN gene…

LX2006 designated breakthrough therapy for FA cardiomyopathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to LX2006, a gene therapy for cardiomyopathy in Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA). The status means the Lexeo Therapeutics candidate may be eligible for fast track review and extra FDA guidance during the regulatory process, which could…

MDA, FARA fund grant to study heart fibrosis in FA

A newly awarded $300,000 research grant will fund a study on heart fibrosis, or the accumulation of scar tissue, in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) awarded the grant to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical Center and Indiana…

FDA provides path for accelerated approval of nomlabofusp for FA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided Larimar Therapeutics with clear expectations for an application seeking accelerated approval of nomlabofusp, its potentially disease-modifying therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), according to the drug developer. Accelerated approval is a type of conditional approval based on early clinical…