FDA Committee Backs ALS Drug as ICER Questions Projected Cost

By a seven to two margin, an FDA advisory committee on Sept. 7 voted that there was enough evidence to support the approval of AMX0035, an oral medication that Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The vote represented a reversal for the FDA’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee (PCNSDAC), which on March 30 had recommended against the medication’s approval.  

Despite the committee's decision, David Rind, M.D., chief medical officer of the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), tells AIS Health that Amylyx may have trouble getting the drug covered due to the medication’s likely high cost and lack of clear effectiveness.