New Drug Seems to Slow Effects of Gehrig’s Disease

An experimental new drug appears to be the first to slow the fatal progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease, which until now has defied all attempts at treatment.

The medicine, called riluzole, is not a cure. But “survival almost doubled in some patients” in a study financed by the manufacturer, Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein of Johns Hopkins University said. “That’s just unheard of.”

Rothstein is co-directing another, larger study of the treatment.

The study by the manufacturer, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, is being reported in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

The illness, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, killed Gehrig, a New York Yankees’ first baseman, in 1941.

ALS is a nerve disease that robs people of muscle control, resulting in weakness and wasting. Eventually, victims lose all control of their muscles, including breathing.

Whether this drug will turn out to play a major role in the illness remains to be seen. Some experts are skeptical.