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Spinal Muscular AtrophyOctober 2021Summary reviewed June 2026

A One-Time Gene Therapy Helped 97% of Babies With Severe Muscle Disease Breathe Without Ventilators

Researchers tested a one-time gene therapy called onasemnogene abeparvovec in 33 babies with spinal muscular atrophy type 1. Nearly all babies (97%) survived without needing permanent breathing support at 14 months, and 44% could sit independently — outcomes that almost never happen without treatment.

What the trial was testing

The STR1VE-EU enrolled 33 patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The study was sponsored by Novartis Gene Therapies and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.

It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.

What the results showed

97% of babies survived without permanent breathing support at 14 months, compared to just 26% without treatment.

The Lancet. Neurology · 2021 · NCT03461289

These findings — that nearly all treated babies lived without needing a ventilator, versus only 26% untreated — were published in the The Lancet. Neurology and represent the headline result of the study.

Researchers tracked outcomes across 33 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.

What this means for patients

For patients with spinal muscular atrophy, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.

What you can do now

This gene therapy is FDA-approved and available now under the brand name Zolgensma. It's given as a one-time IV infusion to babies under 2 years old with spinal muscular atrophy. If your child has been diagnosed with SMA type 1, ask your specialist about whether this treatment is right for them.

Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.

Open spinal muscular atrophy trials

RecruitingObservational study

Registry of Patients With a Diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurogenetic disorder caused by a loss or mutation in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1) on chromosome 5q13, which leads to reduced SMN protein levels and a selective dysfunction of motor neurons. SMA is an autosomal recessive, early childhood disease with an incidence of 1:10,000 live births. SMA is the leading cause of infant mortality due to genetic diseases. The purpose of this registry is to assess the long term outcomes of patients with SMA in the context of advances in treatment options and also to characterize and assess long-term safety and effectiveness of OAV-101.

Phoenix, Arizona, United States +24 more
RecruitingLarge-scale testing

A Study to Learn About the Investigational Drug Rinzimetostat (ORIC-944) in Patients With mCRPC Who Were Previously Treated With Abiraterone Acetate (Himalayas-1)

Himalayas-1 is a randomized, open-label, global, multicenter phase 3 study evaluating whether the combination of rinzimetostat with darolutamide is more effective compared to physician's choice of control; ARPI (darolutamide or enzalutamide) or docetaxel for treating patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who were previously treated with abiraterone acetate. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate superiority in radiographic progression free survival (rPFS) of the investigational arm of rinzimetostat + darolutamide combination versus physician's choice of control: ARPI (darolutamide or enzalutamide) or docetaxel.

Coral Springs, Florida, United States +11 more