The FDA approved Spinraza, the first approved drug to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy, according to Circleville Herald.
Here are four key points:
1. Physicians inject Spinraza into the fluid surrounding a patient's spinal cord.
2. The FDA approved the drug for use in both children and adults with SMA.
3. Researchers showed Spinraza's efficacy in a clinical trial comprised of 121 participants with infantile-onset SMA. The participants were diagnosed before six months of age and were less than seven months old prior to receiving their first dose of the drug.
4. In the clinical study, researchers randomized the patients to receive a Spinraza injection into the fluid around the spinal cord or have a mock procedure without the drug.