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Sarepta Therapeutics Announces Tentative FDA Advisory Committee Meeting to Review Eteplirsen as a Treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
10/14/15 12:43 PM EDT
It is estimated that DMD affects approximately one in every 3,500 boys born worldwide, with 13% of people with the disease having mutations addressable by eteplirsen/exon 51 skipping.
“We have been verbally informed by the
About Sarepta Therapeutics
About Eteplirsen
Eteplirsen is Sarepta's lead drug candidate and is designed to address the underlying cause of DMD by enabling the production of a functional dystrophin protein. Data from clinical studies of eteplirsen in DMD patients have demonstrated a broadly favorable safety and tolerability profile and restoration of dystrophin protein expression.
Eteplirsen uses Sarepta's novel phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO)-based chemistry and proprietary exon-skipping technology to skip exon 51 of the dystrophin gene enabling the repair of specific genetic mutations that affect approximately 13% of the total DMD population. By skipping exon 51, eteplirsen may restore the gene's ability to make a shorter, but still functional, form of dystrophin from messenger RNA, or mRNA. Promoting the synthesis of a truncated dystrophin protein is intended to stabilize or significantly slow the disease process and prolong and improve the quality of life for patients with DMD.
About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
DMD is an X-linked rare degenerative neuromuscular disorder causing severe progressive muscle loss and premature death. One of the most common fatal genetic disorders, DMD affects approximately one in every 3,500 boys born worldwide. A devastating and incurable muscle-wasting disease, DMD is associated with specific errors in the gene that codes for dystrophin, a protein that plays a key structural role in muscle fiber function. Progressive muscle weakness in the lower limbs spreads to the arms, neck and other areas. Eventually, increasing difficulty in breathing due to respiratory muscle dysfunction requires ventilation support, and cardiac dysfunction can lead to heart failure. The condition is universally fatal, and death usually occurs before the age of 30.
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Media and Investors:
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.
Ian Estepan,
617-274-4052
iestepan@sarepta.com
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Ryan Flinn, 415-946-1059
Mobile: 510-207-7616
rflinn@w2ogroup.com
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