
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will add a new warning and other limitations to a gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy that's been linked to two patient deaths.
The infused therapy from Sarepta Therapeutics will carry a boxed warning — the most serious type — alerting doctors and patients to the risk of potentially fatal liver failure with the treatment, the FDA said in a release.
The one-time therapy, Elevidys, has been under FDA scrutiny since the company reported the first of two deaths of teenage boys in March. Following a second death reported in June, the FDA briefly called for halting all shipments of the drug. But the agency quickly reversed course after facing pushback from patient families and libertarian activists close to President Donald Trump.
Elevidys is the first U.S.-approved gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, a fatal muscle-wasting disease that affects boys and young men.
In addition to the boxed warning, the FDA is also limiting the drug's approved use to patients who are 4 years old and up and can still walk. Previously the FDA had allowed the drug's use in immobile patients, who generally have more advanced disease.
New labeling will also recommend weekly liver function monitoring for the first three months of treatment, as well as other precautionary steps.
Elevidys is Sarepta's best-selling product and recent headwinds against the drug have weighed heavily on the company and its stock. In July, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company announced it would lay off 500 employees.
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. shares rose 7.7% in trading after the FDA announcement, reflecting improved visibility for investors about the company's outlook.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
6 Monetary Arranging Administrations for Your Necessities - 2
Embrace Effortlessness: Moderation and Cleaning up Tips - 3
Korean Air takes emergency action as fuel prices soar - 4
The most effective method to Redesign the Sound Framework in Your Smash 1500. - 5
the Wild in Style: The Reduced Portage Mustang's Bold Heritage
One third of Spanish pork export certificates blocked since swine fever outbreak, minister says
All that You Really want to Be aware of Dental Inserts Facilities
Key Training: Picking a Significant for Monetary Achievement
5 Language Learning Applications
Manual for Famous Beverages 2024
Birds Will Flock To Your Birdbath When You Plant These Two Flowers Around It
Which Breakfast Enraptures Your Taste Buds? Vote
US measles cases surpass 2,000, highest in 30 years: CDC
Putting pig organs in people is OK in the US, but growing human organs in pigs is not – why is that?













