Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Can this San Diego startup mimic exercise and fasting with a pill? Epirium raises $85M to find out

San Diego Union Tribune, BRITTANY MEILING, JAN. 13, 2020

A biotech startup in La Jolla has raised $85 million from notable science investors to investigate its idea for treating age-related diseases: a pill that mimics the effects of exercise and fasting.
The company, called Epirium Bio, says its scientists have discovered a new human hormone, which, when influenced, can trigger the production of more mitochondria. The depletion of the body’s mitochondria — a.k.a. “engines” of cells — is at the core of many age-related human illnesses.
To start, Epirium will be tackling rare muscle disorders, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy and Friedreich’s ataxia.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Education and information needs for physicians about rare diseases in Spain

Enrique Ramalle-Gómara, Elena Domínguez-Garrido, María Gómez-Eguílaz, María Eugenia Marzo-Sola, José Luis Ramón-Trapero & Josefa Gil-de-Gómez; J Rare Dis 15, 18 (2020) doi:10.1186/s13023-019-1285-0

In conclusion, the study supports other investigations that have shown that clinicians lack easy access to educational opportunities and information resources regarding rare diseases. It is imperative that the public health system includes ongoing training on rare diseases in programs to improve the training of physicians in both primary care and specialized care.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Very-late-onset Friedreich’s ataxia: diagnosis in a kindred with late-onset cerebellar ataxia

Conor Fearon, Roisin Lonergan, Damien Ferguson, Susan Byrne, David Bradley, Yvonne Langan, Janice Redmond; Neurology 2020;20:55-58. doi:10.1136/practneurol-2019-002368

We present the clinical, imaging and genetic findings of a kindred with very-late-onset Friedreich’s ataxia and discuss the pitfalls and risk of misdiagnosis.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Frataxin deficiency in Friedreich’s ataxia is associated with reduced levels of HAX-1, a regulator of cardiomyocyte death and survival

Francesca Tiano, Francesca Amati, Fabio Cherubini, Elena Morini, Chiara Vancheri, Sara Maletta, Silvia Fortuni, Dario Serio, Andrea Quatrana, Riccardo Luffarelli, Monica Benini, Giulia Alfedi, Luca Panarello, Alessandra Rufini, Nicola Toschi, Marina Frontali, Silvia Romano, Christian Marcotulli, Carlo Casali, Silvia Gioiosa, Caterina Mariotti, Alessia Mongelli, Mario Fichera, Ivano Condò, Giuseppe Novelli, Roberto Testi, Florence Malisan; Human Molecular Genetics, , ddz306, doi:10.1093/hmg/ddz306

Our results suggest that HAX-1 could be considered as a potential biomarker of cardiac disease in FRDA and the evaluation of its expression might provide insights into its pathogenesis as well as improving risk stratification strategies.

Friday, January 17, 2020

PTC Therapeutics (PTCT) Presents At 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference - Slideshow

seekingalpha. Jan. 16, 2020

Slide deck was published by PTC Therapeutics, Inc. in conjunction with this event.




Thursday, January 16, 2020

Novartis' David Lennon on next steps for AveXis, selling Zolgensma's price to the public

BioPharma Dive (WEB 01/16/2020)

SAN FRANCISCO — Novartis sparked a new round of drug pricing criticism last May when the Swiss pharma revealed its new gene therapy Zolgensma would cost $2.1 million per patient.

Pipeline products to prioritize: "Those programs existed as part of the acquisition of AveXis. Since then, we started partnering with [the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research] to apply this platform to different diseases. The first one we announced is a project for Friedreich's ataxia, a muscle-wasting disease."

Safety and Efficacy of Interferon γ in Friedreich's Ataxia

Marinela Vavla MD PhD Maria Grazia D'Angelo MD PhD Filippo Arrigoni MD Nicola Toschi PhD Denis Peruzzo PhD Sandra Gandossini MD Annamaria Russo MD Eleonora Diella Stefania Tirelli PhD Roberto Salati MD Paolo Scarpazza MD Riccardo Luffarelli PhD Silvia Fortuni PhD Alessandra Rufini PhD Ivano Condò PhD Roberto Testi MD Andrea Martinuzzi MD PhD; Mov Disord. 2020 doi:10.1002/mds.27979

A relevant indication that emerges from the study, the previously studies, and from the numerous FRDA patients using IFNγ off label is the possible presence of nonresponders. A randomized withdrawal design is therefore best suited to increase the power of future clinical trials to definitively assess the efficacy of IFNγ treatment in FRDA


Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Predictors of loss of ambulation in Friedreich's ataxia

Christian Rummey, Jennifer M. Farmer, David R. Lynch; EClinicalMedicine, Volume 18, 2020, 100213, doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2019.11.006.

We propose a stratification paradigm for time to LoA in FRDA. Concurrently, each step in a sequence of events represents a surrogate measure for future LoA. This will facilitate patient selection and stratification in clinical trials, and potentially enable study of LoA as a direct clinical outcome.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

PTC Therapeutics Provides Corporate Update and Highlights Pipeline Progress at 2020 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., Jan. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT) today is providing a corporate update that will be presented at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 15th at 8:30 a.m.

PTC-FA gene therapy for Friedreich ataxia is progressing and is anticipated to enter the clinic in 3Q 2020.
In order to control and accelerate its gene therapy platform, PTC secured a 15-year lease on ~185,000 sq. ft. of space, which includes a state-of-the-art biologics production facility with supporting research and operations buildings in NJ. PTC expects manufacturing to begin at this facility in 2020.


MDA Awards Venture Philanthropy Funding of More Than $1M to AavantiBio to Develop Gene-Targeting Therapy for Friedreich's Ataxia

NEW YORK and GAINESVILLE, Fla., Jan. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and AavantiBio, a biotechnology company developing a gene-targeting therapy for Friedreich's ataxia (FA), today announced the award of MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP) funding totaling $1,076,232 to advance AavantiBio's phase 2 clinical trial of a gene-replacement therapy for the disease.

MDA's investment will help accelerate AavantiBio's mission and begin production of the clinical gene vector for its therapy program. Clinical trials are expected to begin in 2020.