Ultra rare disorder drug from Calico and AbbVie chosen for START

Calico Life Sciences, a biotech company specializing in aging and age-related diseases, has had its candidate fosigotifator accepted into the US Food and Drug Administration’s Support for Clinical Trials Advancing Rare Disease Therapeutics (START) Pilot Program.

Fosigotifator is being developed in collaboration with AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) as a potential treatment for vanishing white matter (VWM) disease, a rare genetic disorder that affects the white matter of the brain, also known as leukodystrophy.

The START Pilot Program aims to accelerate the development of novel treatments for rare diseases, providing frequent advice and enhanced communication with FDA review staff to address development issues.