FDA Panel Now Recommending New ALS Drug After Earlier Rejection

The drug, which mixes an approved liver disorder medication and traditional Chinese dietary supplement, has been shown to extend life expectancy

Guilhem Gallart, known as Pone, lies on a bedat his home in Gaillac in the south of France on June 16, 2021. Since 2015, he suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. FRED SCHEIBER/AFP via Getty Images

A panel of external advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted on Sept. 7 to recommend a drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease.

ALS is a progressive and fatal disease that has no known cure. It is a neurodegenerative disease, destroying nerve cells that are needed for basic functions like walking, talking, swallowing, and eventually breathing. The cause of ALS is largely unknown. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years.