Regulators skeptical of ALS drug benefits

WASHINGTON – Federal health regulators issued a negative review Monday of an experimental drug for the debilitating illness known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after months of lobbying by patient advocates urging approval.

The drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals has become a rallying cause for patients with the deadly neurodegenerative disease ALS, their families and members of Congress who’ve joined in pushing the Food and Drug Administration to greenlight the drug.

But regulators said in a review the company’s small study was “not persuasive,” due to missing data, errors in enrolling patients and other problems. On Wednesday, a panel of FDA advisers will take a non-binding vote on whether the drug warrants approval.

The meeting is being closely watched as an indicator of the FDA’s approach to experimental drugs with imperfect data and its ability to withstand outside pressure.

The FDA’s negative stance on the drug sets up a tense scenario at Wednesday’s public session, where several dozen ALS patients and advocates are scheduled to speak. The agency will consider the input from its advisory panel before making a final decision on the drug, expected by June.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, destroys nerve cells needed to walk, talk, swallow and – eventually – breathe. There is no cure and most people die within three to five years.

Amylyx’s drug is a combination of two older drugs: a prescription medication for liver disorders and a dietary supplement associated with traditional Chinese medicine. Amylyx has patented it and says the chemicals help protect cells from early death.

Amylyx decided to submit its pill for approval based on survival data gathered after its initial study. The company said it showed that patients who took the drug lived about six months longer than those taking a dummy pill.

But FDA reviewers found the drug had “only a modest” effect on slowing the disease’s progression in a 137-patient, mid-stage study, which FDA said was plagued with problems. Typically, FDA approval requires two large studies or one study with a “very persuasive” effect on survival.