Edaravone: A new drug approved for ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, adult onset neurodegenerative disease that is always fatal. The history of ALS drug discovery is fraught with many stops and starts. It took 22 years after the FDA approval of the anti-excitotoxic drug Riluzole before another drug was found to be effective in altering ALS progression: the anti-oxidant Edaravone.