FDA approves Marathon's corticosteroid for DMD

FDA approved Emflaza deflazacort (MP-104) from Marathon Pharmaceuticals LLC (Northbrook, Ill.) to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in patients aged five and older. Emflaza is a glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant properties.

FDA said Emflaza is "the first treatment approved for a wide range" of DMD patients, and the first corticosteroid it has approved to treat DMD. The drug has long been approved in Canada and some European countries, but had not been approved in the U.S. for any indication. Some U.S. patients have gained access to deflazacort in the past via importation...