What is Friedreich’s Ataxia?

– An inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system.
– Named after the physician Nicholaus Friedreich, who first described the condition in the 1860s.
– “Ataxia” refers to coordination problems such as clumsy or awkward movements and unsteadiness, occurs in many different diseases and conditions.
– The ataxia of Friedreich’s ataxia results from the degeneration of nerve tissue in the spinal cord and of nerves that control muscle movement in the arms and legs.
– Friedreich’s ataxia, although rare, is the most prevalent inherited ataxia, affecting about one in every 50,000 people in the United States. Males and females are affected equally.

*Retrieved From National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

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NEW EVENTS & INFORMATION

February 15, 2021

The Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance collected 74,070 signatures on a letter requesting Reata Pharmaceuticals submit a New Drug Application (NDA) on an urgent basis and for the FDA to consider approval of an NDA for omaveloxolone in FA based on the existing evidence from clinical trials. This would be the first approved drug to specifically be approved to treat FA.