Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic, progressive, and often terminal rare disease that affects an individual’s ability to walk, eat, and, ultimately, breathe. Debilitating and often fatal, SMA affects approximately one in 10,000 individuals and is a leading genetic cause of death among infants.
SMA impacts individuals across a range of ages – from infants and children to teens and adults – with varying levels of severity. Newborns and infants are most likely to develop infantile-onset SMA, the most severe form of the disease, which can lead to paralysis and prevent infants from performing the basic functions of life, such as swallowing or holding up their heads. Later-onset SMA is most common among teens and adults, who may experience significant muscle weakness and disability, such as the inability to stand or walk independently.
Individuals with two copies of the SMN2 gene, the gene responsible for making the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, are most likely to develop infantile-onset SMA (also known as Type 1), while those with three or four copies are most likely to develop later-onset SMA (Types 2 and 3).
Therapy for SMA
Previously, individuals with SMA and their families had no treatment options. This changed in December 2016 when Biogen received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a therapy approved to treat SMA. The therapy has since been approved in the European Union, Japan, Brazil, and other regions globally, and has helped thousands of patients around the world to date.
We continue to work with health care professionals, government agencies, policymakers, and advocacy groups to be able to provide access to this new therapy as quickly as possible to as many who may benefit.
Learn more about our treatment for spinal muscular atrophy in Sweden.