THE US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Radicava (edavarone) for the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The product is sponsored by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, with an FDA spokesman saying "after learning about the use of edavarone to treat ALS in Japan, we rapidly engaged with the drug developer about filing a marketing application in the United States".
It's the first new treatment approved by the FDA for ALS in many years, he said.
ALS is a rare progressive disease that attacks and kills the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, eventually leading to paralysis.
The condition came to prominence a couple of years ago via the social media-focused 'ice bucket challenge' which raised funds for research by people being sponsored to have ice poured over their heads.
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