Approved Treatments & Therapies

Studies worldwide are ongoing to develop more treatments and a cure for ALS. Four drugs are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ALS and its symptoms: Qalsody, Radicava, Riluzole, and Nuedexta.

Please consult your doctor or health care professional about which may be right for you.

Treatments & Therapies ALS

Qalsody (tofersen)

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in 2023 that it approved Qalsody (tofersen) as a new treatment for rare SOD1 ALS.

Radicava™ (edaravone)

The FDA approved Radicava™ in 2017, making it the first new treatment specifically for ALS in 22 years. An oral formulation was approved in 2022.

Riluzole (Rilutek, Exservan, Tiglutik). This was the first FDA-approved drug available to treat ALS — in 1995. It inhibits glutamate release and prolongs life for approximately three months. Riluzole is the generic name of Rilutek. Your healthcare provider typically monitors your liver function with periodic blood draws while you're taking the medicine.

Nuedexta®

Indicated for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA), which is characterized by frequent, involuntary, and often sudden episodes of crying and/or laughing that are exaggerated and/or don’t match how you feel. PBA occurs secondary to a variety of otherwise unrelated neurologic conditions. Nuedexta® (dextromethorphan HBr and quinidine sulfate) was FDA-approved in 2011.