CHMP recommends Zolgensma for the treatment of patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy . - Novartis

AveXis, a Novartis company, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending conditional marketing authorization of Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) for the treatment of patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with a bi-allelic mutation in the SMN1 gene and a clinical diagnosis of SMA Type 1; or for patients with 5q SMA with a bi-allelic mutation in the SMN1 gene and up to three copies of the SMN2 gene. A rare, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a lack of a functional SMN1 gene, SMA results in the rapid and irreversible loss of motor neurons, affecting muscle functions, including breathing, swallowing and basic movement. Zolgensma is a one-time gene therapy designed to address the genetic root cause of the disease by replacing the function of the missing or nonworking SMN1 gene. Zolgensma is administered during a single intravenous (IV) infusion, delivering a new working copy of the SMN gene into a patient’s cells, halting disease progression. The positive opinion is an important step towards offering a new treatment option in Europe for babies and young children with SMA. The European Commission (EC) reviews the CHMP recommendation and usually delivers its final decision in approximately two months. The decision will be applicable to all 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and the United Kingdom.