Last updated Sept. 12, 2023, by Marta Figueiredo, PhD  Fact-checked by Inês Martins, PhD What is Austedo for Huntington’s disease? Austedo (deutetrabenazine) is an approved oral therapy used to treat adults with chorea, or involuntary and uncontrolled movements, associated with Huntington’s disease. It is also…
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Ingrezza (valbenazine) is an oral medication approved in the U.S. to ease the involuntary, jerky movements known as chorea that are observed in most people with Huntington’s disease.
Cariprazine, an oral medication approved for schizophrenia, may ease some motor symptoms people with Huntington’s disease experience across different stages of the condition, a small study suggests. How cariprazine works in Huntington’s still isn’t clear, but researchers think it may balance out dopamine levels when they’re too high, as…
Note: This column describes the experiences of the author’s father with tetrabenazine (often known by its brand name, Xenazine). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. My dad, who had Huntington’s disease, was moved…
A four-week titration kit for starting on Austedo (deutetrabenazine) — an approved therapy for chorea, or involuntary muscle contractions, due to Huntington’s disease — has so far been well-received by patients in a Phase 4 clinical trial. Titration, in medicine, means starting a drug at a low dose…
Today, Oct. 11, is my 37th birthday. Where does the time go? In my last column, I wrote about my lengthy journey since my mom was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD) in 1995. As I sit back and reflect, I realize how much my own genetic test…
The recent approval in the U.S. of Ingrezza (valbenazine) for adults with Huntington’s disease-associated chorea means patients now have access to a treatment option that’s likely easier to take, according to the chief medical officer of Neurocrine Biosciences, the therapy’s maker. “Ingrezza is always one capsule,…
Long-term treatment with Austedo (deutetrabenazine) safely led to sustained reductions in chorea for people with Huntington’s disease, including those who had switched from treatment with Xenazine (tetrabenazine). That’s according to about three years of follow-up data in the Phase 3 ARC-HD trial (NCT01897896), a study jointly conducted…
In my previous column, I shared that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the request submitted by my fellow advocates and me to host a patient listening session focused on people who are gene-positive for Huntington’s disease (HD), but have not yet developed symptoms. Our session is…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an orphan drug designation to SOM3355, an investigational treatment for chorea, or involuntary jerky movements, associated with Huntington’s disease, its developer SOM Biotech has announced. Orphan drug status helps to encourage the development of therapies for rare…