Roche's Evrysdi approved in Europe to ramp up SMA rivalry

Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) has seen its spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug Evrysdi (risdiplam) follow up its US approval by getting the green light from the European Commission (EC).

Evrysdi has been approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of 5q SMA in patients two months of age and older, with a clinical diagnosis of SMA Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 or with one to four SMN2 copies.

"The first and only SMA treatment with proven efficacy that can be taken at home"SMA is a leading genetic cause of death in infants and 5q SMA is the most common form of the disease. The condition causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement and significant unmet need remains, particularly in adults living with this condition.