Author Archives: Marisa Wexler MS

A decision from England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will make Spinraza (nusinersen) available to people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3 who are unable to walk. In England, Spinraza is available through a managed access agreement (MAA) between NICE, the National Health…

Newborn screening can aid in the early diagnosis and prompt treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which can lead to better clinical outcomes, according to a German study. “We strongly recommend that newborn screening for SMA ought to become universal in countries that provide SMA-specific medication,” the study’s researchers…

The European Alliance for Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy is calling on all European states to introduce routine screening of all newborns for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) by 2025. The recently-formed Alliance, which is composed of European patient organizations, academics, and the pharmaceutical industry, published its first white…

Treatment with Spinraza (nusinersen) may cause some alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid — that which surrounds the brain and spinal cord — in adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a study reported. Changes recorded, like in total protein, were “mild” and without affect on treatment tolerability, the researchers wrote,…

Being an adolescent or young adult with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) presents unique challenges, according to a study based on viewpoints expressed by patients ages 12 to 25. “‘I have SMA, SMA doesn’t have me’: a qualitative snapshot into the challenges, successes, and quality of life…

Improvement in motor function, breathing, and ease of administration are among the factors that people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and their caregivers value most when deciding on available treatments, a new study reports. The study, “Treatment preference among patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA):…

A free resource booklet, published by Cure SMA, may help people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to better understand the possible risks and benefits of combining different treatments for the disease. The booklet, titled “Scientific Considerations for Drug Combinations,” is available online. The past several…

Health Canada has approved Novartis‘ gene therapy Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) to treat pediatric spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients who have three or fewer copies of the SMN2 gene, or with infantile-onset disease. “Today’s announcement about the Canadian approval of Zolgensma is a significant milestone in our journey to reimagine…

Administering Spinraza (nusinersen) via a particular method of injection, called the paramedian approach, can shorten procedure times and reduce the occurrence of adverse events for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a small study suggests. This method may prove to be a much easier route of administration…

An infant with type 0 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a severe disease form evident before birth, began treatment with Spinraza (nusinersen) at 2 weeks old and showed mild improvement, but died of cardiac arrest months later. The case is one of the few documented instances of Spinraza…