SAVANNAH, GEORGIA — Current disease-modifying therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) don’t extend lifespans by much, but several drug options are available, nerve specialists learned.
The glutamate blocker riluzole (Rilutek), which became the first ALS drug to receive US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1995, continues to be used, said Michael D. Weiss, MD, professor of neurology at University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, in a presentation at the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) 2024.
Weiss highlighted a 2012 Cochrane Library review that examined research and found the drug is “reasonably safe” and prolongs median survival by about 2-3 months. “About 12% develop liver disease. It’s pretty rare that we stop the medicine due to liver toxicity.”
Earlier Treatment Could Pay Dividends
A recent study “suggests we might be able to get more bang for our buck from riluzole” by initiating treatment earlier, Weiss said.
Researchers tracked 4778 patients with ALS, including 3446 (72.1%) who took riluzole. Those who took the drug survived a median two extra months (22.6 vs 20.2 months; P
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