WASHINGTON: Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced Thursday it was withdrawing its approved treatment against the deadly neurodegenerative disease ALS after clinical data found no evidence the drug worked.

In a statement, the US company said it would discontinue its market authorizations for Relyvrio/Albrioza, using the brand names of the medicine in the US and Canadian markets.

“While this is a difficult moment for the ALS community, we reached this path forward in partnership with the stakeholders who will be impacted and in line with our steadfast commitment to people living with ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases,” said the company’s co-CEOs in a statement.

The company also said it was reducing its workforce “by approximately 70 percent” as it focused on other drugs. The news follows data from a clinical trial of 664 ALS patients announced in March, which found no significant differences in outcomes between those on the treatment group and those who received a placebo.

It was a big blow for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famous baseball player, which devastates nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

ALS affects about two people per 100,000 every year, causing progressive loss of motor and cognitive function. Most patients die within five years of their diagnosis. For now, there remain only a handful of treatments available.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024