Rare diseases
Although FDA Commissioner Marty Makary promised “an exciting treatment” for autism, what the agency delivered was a label expansion for leucovorin to treat the ultrarare cerebral folate deficiency. The regulatory process, which relied on a literature review rather than new evidence, stands in contrast to recent rare disease rejections in which the FDA cited a need for more rigorous evidence.
The Phase 3 EMANATE study is a basket trial looking at the efficacy of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals’ injectable obesity drug across four types of obesities driven by specific genetic mutations.
With Ascendis Pharma entering the achondroplasia space last month and BridgeBio on deck, BioMarin faces competition. Adding to the pressure, the company suffered a setback Monday when it halted two studies of Voxzogo in other growth-related conditions following multiple cases of hip injuries in other trials of the drug.
The Hunter syndrome space suffered a setback in February when the FDA turned down REGENXBIO’s investigational gene therapy, raising urgent questions about whether competitor Denali Therapeutics can clear the agency’s bar next month.
Dozens of biotechs reported earnings this week. BioSpace recaps key highlights from Capricor Therapeutics, Legend Biotech, Inovio and Allogene.
Small-molecule drugs account for nearly half of the most valuable investigational therapies for orphan diseases, according to analytics firm Evaluate.
After the FDA’s first-ever public listening meeting on data-sharing in the cell and gene therapy space, new draft guidance aims to standardize the practice. But recent decisions call into question whether shared evidence and prior knowledge will accelerate development in rare diseases.
Data from BridgeBio Pharma’s Phase 3 FORTIFY study show that BBP-418 significantly increases levels of a key disease biomarker that helps stabilize muscles in patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
Data presented at the 2026 Muscular Dystrophy Association meeting could have readthroughs to companies developing therapies for spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy.
Capricor Therapeutics’ deramiocel was rejected in July 2025, potentially caught between Nicole Verdun, a former top biologics regulator at the FDA, and outgoing Vinay Prasad, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
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