Japan Govt OKs New ALS Drug

From Jiji 

September 25 2024

TOKYO – The health ministry Tuesday approved the production and sale of a new medicine for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan, raising hopes among patients. 

In a doctor-led clinical trial, the drug, mecobalamin, extended the survival period of patients within a year of the onset of ALS by over 500 days, surpassing existing drugs.

It is the third treatment in Japan for ALS, a severe neurological disease that gradually causes full-body muscle paralysis, making late-stage patients unable to breathe by themselves and require respiratory support. It affects about 10,000 people in Japan.

While research using induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells is going on for potential ALS drugs, no fundamental treatment has been established.

Mecobalamin is a form of vitamin B12 sold as a remedy for peripheral neuropathy and other conditions. It was initially proposed for pharmaceutical approval as an ALS treatment in 2015 by drugmaker Eisai Co. after its clinical trial found a certain level of efficacy.