Golodirsen

Golodirsen is a morpholino antisense oligomer designed to treat about 8% of patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This is an X-linked condition leading to progressive muscle degeneration that begins in early childhood, rendering many patients wheelchair-bound by age 12. Often, patients succumb to this condition by age 30 or younger due to cardiac and respiratory complications. A similar drug used in the treatment of other types of DMD is eteplirsen, which targets a different genetic mutation.

Golodirsen was developed by Sarepta Therapeutics and granted accelerated FDA approval on December 12, 2019 due to the urgent need for this drug in patients suffering from a certain form of DMD. Continued approval of this drug will depend on the results of clinical trials that confirm its clinical benefit. Golodirsen was initially rejected for FDA approval over concerns about its potential renal toxicity, however, clinical trials did not show significant toxicity.

Golodirsen is indicated to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients with a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that would benefit from exon 53 skipping. Continued FDA approval of this drug is contingent upon the results of clinical trials to confirm its benefit.