[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Current Clinical Trials and Underlying Pathomechanisms]

Overview

Journal Nervenarzt

Specialty Neurology

Date 2008 Jan 23

PMID 18210046

Authors

K Kollewe

R Dengler

S Petri

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease leading to death after 3 to 5 years. The glutamate antagonist Riluzole currently is the only drug with marginal therapeutic benefit, but its effect on survival is modest, with an average increase of only 3-4 months. Therefore symptomatic treatment still is the most important. Further neuroprotective agents are currently under investigation, both in transgenic animal models of ALS and clinical trials in ALS patients. This review summarizes the current state of clinical studies in ALS patients in the context of underlying therapeutic mechanisms.

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