Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Lou Gehrig’s Drug Approved by FDA

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug that prolongs the lives of patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease, although the improvement in survival is slight. The disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, affects about 30,000 Americans, attacking nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leaving them hard and shriveled. Over the course of the disease, patients’ muscles progressively weaken, leading to paralysis, respiratory failure and death. The drug will be marketed by Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc. under the name Rilutek.