Health Canada approves Zolgensma®, the one-time gene therapy for pediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved Zolgensma® (onasemnogene abeparvovec) an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy indicated for the treatment of pediatric patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with bi-allelic mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene and 3 or fewer copies of SMN2 gene; or infantile-onset SMA1.
Zolgensma is a gene therapy designed to address the genetic root cause of SMA by replacing the missing or defective SMN1 gene1. It is administered during an intravenous (IV) infusion, delivering a new working copy of the SMN1 gene into a patient's cells, halting disease progression and restoring production of SMN protein1.
"SMA can be a devastating diagnosis for families to receive. Without treatment, many children would not be able to meet important developmental milestones like lifting their head, sitting or walking. Even breathing and swallowing can become difficult in the severe, infant-onset form of this disease," said Dr. Hugh McMillan, Pediatric Neurologist at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa. "The approval of Zolgensma in Canada offers children an opportunity to maximize their developmental potential from this one-time therapy. The decision to treat based upon weight may allow children diagnosed slightly later to also benefit from this therapy."
"When I first started diagnosing SMA, I couldn't have imagined that we would see such scientific advancements," said Dr. Nicolas Chrestian, Chief of Paediatric Neurology, specialized in neuromuscular disorders at Centre Hospitalier Mère Enfant Soleil, Université Laval in Québec City. "Zolgensma offers, in a single dose, the possibility of halting the progression of this degenerative condition that can rob children of regular developmental milestones."
In Canada each year, approximately one in 10,000 babies are born with SMA, a rare, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a defective or missing SMN1 gene3. Without a functional SMN1 gene, infants with SMA lose the motor neurons responsible for muscle functions such as breathing, swallowing, speaking and walking2. Left untreated, muscles become progressively weaker2,3. In the most severe form, this eventually leads to paralysis and ultimately permanent ventilation or death by age 2 in more than 90% of cases4.
"The SMA community is thrilled to have another treatment option to offer hope to families grappling with an SMA diagnosis. The approval of Zolgensma couldn't come soon enough. We will continue to advocate until everyone who needs access to treatment can benefit from innovations like this," said Susi Vander Wyk, Executive Director, CureSMA Canada.
"Today's announcement about the Canadian approval of Zolgensma is a significant milestone in our journey to reimagine medicine by changing the treatment paradigm for children with SMA." said Andrea Marazzi, Country Head, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada. "Our commitment to the SMA community truly comes to life when those that could benefit most from Zolgensma can access it. This is why we continue to work collaboratively with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, provinces and territories to make this happen as quickly as possible."
The efficacy and safety data supporting the approval of Zolgensma in treating pediatric patients with SMA are derived from completed and ongoing open-label, single-arm, clinical trials in patients with infantile-onset SMA and 2 copies of SMN2 gene; and presymptomatic genetically diagnosed SMA and 2 or 3 copies of SMN2 gene1.
Zolgensma is the only gene therapy approved by Health Canada for the treatment of SMA1. Thirteen treatment sites have been identified in leading healthcare institutions with SMA expertise. The sites are located in: Vancouver, BC; Edmonton, AB; Calgary, AB; Saskatoon, SK; Winnipeg, MB; London, ON; Hamilton, ON; Toronto, ON; Ottawa, ON; Montreal, QC; Quebec City, QC; Halifax, NS.