Biogen

In this study, researchers will learn more about the effects and safety of BIIB115, also known as salanersen. Specifically, researchers will learn more about how salanersen works in individuals with SMA who are between the ages of 15 and 60 years old. In most people living with SMA, changes to or a lack of a gene called survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) - often referred to as gene mutations or variants - affect how this gene works. As a result, their bodies produce less SMN protein. Without enough of this protein, motor neurons and muscles cannot work properly. There is a similar gene called SMN2 that produces SMN protein, but it usually does not produce enough SMN protein on its own to make up for the changes in the SMN1 gene. Salanersen is a drug designed to help the SMN2 gene to make more working SMN protein. In this study, there will be 2 groups of participants: a group who has never received treatment for SMA before joining this study, and a group who has been treated with risdiplam, an approved drug for SMA . Those participants must not have received any other SMA treatments before and will need to stop their risdiplam treatment for the duration of the study. The main goal of this study is to learn more about how salanersen affects the participants' motor function. Researchers will use different tests and questionnaires to learn if motor function is changing over the study duration. The main question researchers want to answer in this study is: • For the group who has never been treated for SMA, how much do scores on the HFMSE movement test change at 12 months compared to the beginning of the study? The Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale - Expanded (HFMSE) has 33 activities that are scored which include sitting, lying down, walking, jumping, and more. Researchers will also learn more about: * The effects on participants' motor function and how well their nerves and muscles function. * The effects on participants' overall sense of change and how they perform daily activities. * How many participants have adverse events or serious adverse events. Adverse events are health problems that may or may not be caused by the study drug. * How much salanersen gets into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. * How much salanersen gets into the blood. This study will be done as follows: * First, participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. The screening period may be up to 4 weeks. * This is an "open-label" study. This is a study in which the participants, study doctor, and site staff will know that participants are receiving salanersen. * All participants will receive salanersen through an intrathecal injection, or one that is given into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. * Participants will receive salanersen once every year for a total of 5 times throughout the study. * Including screening, participants will have 17 study visits and 9 telephone calls during this study, which will last up to 61 months in total.Show more

In this study, researchers will learn more about the use of felzartamab in participants with Graves' Disease, also known as GD. GD is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system attacks its own healthy cells. In people with GD, the immune system produces abnormal antibodies, called thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TRAb), that attack the thyroid gland. This causes the thyroid to become too active and produce too much hormone, a condition called hyperthyroidism. Participants with GD are often treated with anti-thyroid drugs, or ATDs, which are medicines that help bring thyroid hormone levels back to normal. Felzartamab is designed to target certain immune cells that produce the abnormal TRAb antibodies. The main goal of the study is to learn whether felzartamab can help bring thyroid hormone levels back to normal and allow participants to stop taking ATDs. Participants will receive either felzartamab or placebo during the study. A placebo looks like the study drug but contains no real medicine. The main question that researchers want to answer is: • How many participants have normal thyroid levels without receiving any ATD medicine at Week 24? Researchers will also learn more about the safety of felzartamab and how the body processes the drug. The study will be done as follows: * Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. * This is a double-blind study, which means neither the participants, study doctor, or site staff will know if participants are receiving felzartamab or a placebo. * Participants will be placed into 1 of 3 groups. Two groups will receive felzartamab while the other receives placebo. * Participants will receive felzartamab or placebo as intravenous (IV) infusions, which are slow injections into a vein using a needle. The Treatment Period will last 20 weeks. * During the Treatment Period, the study doctor may gradually lower the dose of the ATD if a participant's thyroid levels become normal. * Afterwards, participants will enter a follow-up period which will last 12 weeks. * In total, participants will have 22 study visits. Participants will stay in the study for about 9 months (up to 36 weeks).Show more

The Myelin Disorders Biorepository Project (MDBP) seeks to collect and analyze clinical data and biological samples from leukodystrophy patients worldwide to support ongoing and future research projects. The MDBP is one of the world's largest leukodystrophy biorepositories, having enrolled nearly 2,000 affected individuals since it was launched over a decade ago. Researchers working in the biorepository hope to use these materials to uncover new genetic etiologies for various leukodystrophies, develop biomarkers for use in future clinical trials, and better understand the natural history of these disorders. The knowledge gained from these efforts may help improve the diagnostic tools and treatment options available to patients in the future.Show more

In this study, researchers will learn more about the effects of BIIB147, in participants with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS. ALS is a rare disease that damages the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that help control the movement of muscles in the body. It is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse with time. Over time, this causes increasing problems with speaking, swallowing, moving the arms and legs, and breathing. In the case of ALS, this eventually leads to death from patients not being able to breathe. This is a "first-in-human" study. This means that this study drug will be given to people for the very first time in this study. These studies are important because they help researchers learn about the safety of the study drug, how the body processes it, and what dose might be appropriate before testing it in larger groups. The main goal of the study is to learn about the safety of BIIB147 in adult participants with ALS. The main question researchers want to answer is: * How many participants have adverse events and serious adverse events during the study? Adverse events are health problems that may or may not be caused by the study drug. * Researchers will also learn more about: * How much BIIB147 gets into the blood? * What is the highest amount of BIIB147 found in the blood? * How long does it take BIIB147 to reach its highest amount in the blood? * How much neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein is found in the blood? * How longer-term treatment with BIIB147 affects disease worsening and the participants' overall survival? This study will be done as follows: * Participants will join the study after signing an informed consent form, also known as an ICF. * Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. The screening period will be up to 4 weeks. * Participants will be randomly assigned to get either the study drug BIIB147 or a placebo during the main treatment period. A placebo is something that looks like the study drug but does not contain any medicine. A placebo is also given the same as the study drug. * Neither the participants nor the researchers will know if participants are getting the study drug or the placebo. * BIIB147 or the placebo will be given through a lumbar puncture. This is done using a thin needle that is put into the lower part of the spine. * During the main treatment period, participants will have regular clinic visits and phone calls. At the visits, the study doctor will do tests to check the participants' overall health, including their brain and nerve function. The participants' breathing function, tongue strength, and muscle strength will also be checked. They will also measure the participants' height, weight, and vital signs and collect blood and urine samples. Participants will also complete questionnaires or answer questions about how they are feeling and about their daily lives. * After finishing treatment in the main part of the study, some participants who qualify may be able to join a "long-term extension" part of the study. This may last up to 6 years or more. During this part of the study, all participants will get BIIB147. * After the long-term extension is done, participants will join a follow-up safety period. If participants do not enter the long-term extension, they will go directly into the follow-up safety period once the treatment period is done. * Each participant will be in the study for up to 8 years or more.Show more

In this study, researchers will know more about the effects of nusinersen, also known as Spinraza®, in pregnant participants with spinal muscular atrophy, also known as SMA. This is a drug available for doctors to prescribe for people with SMA. Due to the current treatment options that exist, people with SMA may now reach the age where they can become pregnant. But, there is not enough information known yet about what the effects of nusinersen may be on pregnant people with SMA or on their babies. This is known as an "observational" study, which collects health information about study participants without changing their medical care. The pregnant participants for this study will be found using 3 different groups of SMA study research centers: * ISMAR-US (International SMA Registry in the United States) * UK Adult SMA-REACH (Adult SMA Research and Clinical Hub in the United Kingdom) * SMArtCARE (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) * Polish SMA Patient Registry The main goal of this study is to collect birth and health information from 3 groups of participants and their babies. These groups are: * Those who received nusinersen up to 14 months before the first day of their last period before getting pregnant. This was either the standard dose of 12 milligrams (mg) of nusinersen or the higher dose (50/28 mg). * Those who received nusinersen 14.5 months before the day they got pregnant * Those who received 12 mg or 50/28 mg of nusinersen during any time in their pregnancy The main questions researchers want to learn about in this study are: * Loss of pregnancy overall * Loss of pregnancy before the baby was 20 weeks old * Loss of pregnancy after the baby becomes 20 weeks old * Live births * Loss of the baby after birth * Babies who have problems in their body that develop during pregnancy * Babies who are small for their age while in the participant's uterus * Pregnancy that happens outside of the uterus * How many participants die during pregnancy, while the baby is being born, and up to 12 weeks after delivering the baby * Babies who develop problems in their body after birth Researchers will also compare this information to people without SMA who have not received nusinersen. This study will be done as follows: * Information will start being collected when the participant decides to join the study. * Participants will be contacted at each trimester (about every 3 months) to learn about their health and pregnancy. * Participants' doctors will be contacted at each trimester, when the participants are about 6 or 7 months pregnant, and about 4 weeks after the delivery of the baby. * The babies' doctors will be contacted when the baby is 1, 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months old. * Each participant will be in the study until the end of their pregnancy and for up to 12 weeks after delivery. Each baby will be in the study for up to 2 years after birth. * The study overall will last at least 10 years from when the first participant joins the study.Show more

The primary objective of the clinical investigation is to demonstrate successful clinical use of the ThecaFlex DRx™ System in delivering nusinersen in subjects with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). All enrolled subjects will undergo implantation of the investigational device (ThecaFlex DRx™ System) and will be followed for 12 months after receiving the implant. The 12-month data will be used to assess the primary endpoint support a Pre-Market Approval (PMA) application.Show more

In this study, researchers will learn more about the use of felzartamab in participants with primary membranous nephropathy, also known as PMN. In people with PMN, autoantibodies build up in the glomeruli of the kidney. Antibodies are proteins that help the body fight off infection. An autoantibody is a type of antibody that mistakenly targets and attacks the body's own tissues. Glomeruli are the filters of the kidney that remove waste and extra fluid from the body. In PMN, the build-up of autoantibodies in the glomeruli causes damage to the kidneys. Kidney damage can lead to too much protein and blood leaking into the urine. High levels of protein in the urine, called proteinuria, are common in people with PMN. Symptoms of PMN can include swelling in the legs and body, tiredness, and high blood pressure. If left untreated, PMN can eventually lead to kidney failure. In this study, researchers will learn more about how a study drug called felzartamab affects people with PMN. Felzartamab is a monoclonal antibody, which means it is an antibody made in a laboratory. Felzartamab can target immune cells that produce autoantibodies, helping to lower their buildup in the kidneys. The main goal of this study is to compare how felzartamab works compared to a drug called tacrolimus. Tacrolimus is another drug given to people with PMN and kidney disease. The main question that researchers want to answer is: * How many participants achieve a complete response after 104 weeks of treatment? * A complete response means that their urine protein levels decrease to a low level and their kidney function remains stable. Researchers will also learn about: * How long it takes before the participants' disease gets worse * How long the participants' urine protein levels stay low * How many participants develop antibodies against felzartamab in the blood? * How many participants achieve a complete response after 76 weeks of treatment * How many participants have medical problems during the study * How felzartamab is processed by the body * How felzartamab affects participants' tiredness and overall physical health The study will be done as follows: * Participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. This may take up to 42 days. * Participants will be randomized to receive either felzartamab as intravenous (IV) infusions or tacrolimus, taken orally as tablets. * If participants have worsening kidney function or worsening proteinuria, or if their PMN relapses, or if they show no signs of improvement in their PMN, they will have a chance to receive rescue treatment. * If a participant stops treatment early, there will be follow-up visits every 12 weeks until they reach Week 104. * In total, participants will have up to 23 study visits. Participants who do not need rescue treatment will stay in the study for up to 104 weeks. Participants who need rescue treatment will stay in the study for up to 156 weeks.Show more

In this study, researchers will learn more about the effects and safety of BIIB115, also known as salanersen. Specifically, researchers will learn more about how salanersen works in babies who have been diagnosed with SMA through genetic testing but have not yet started showing signs or symptoms. Most people with SMA have changes in a gene called survival motor neuron 1, also known as SMN1. These changes lower the amount of SMN protein in their bodies. Without enough of this protein, motor neurons and muscles cannot work properly. A similar gene called SMN2 can help replace some of the lost SMN protein in the body. Salanersen works by helping the SMN2 gene to make more SMN protein. In this study, participants will have either 2 SMN2 copies or 3 SMN2 copies. The higher the copy number, the less severe the participant's SMA is. The main goal of this study is to see if starting salanersen before signs or symptoms appear can prevent signs or symptoms of SMA or make them less severe. Researchers will use different tests to learn if motor symptoms are changing, including the World Health Organization (WHO) motor milestones. The main questions researchers want to answer in this study are: * How many participants with 2 copies of the SMN2 gene can sit without support at 12 months? * How many participants with 3 copies of the SMN2 gene can walk alone at 18 months? Researchers will also learn more about: * The effects on participants' motor symptoms and how many new movement milestones participants achieve. * How many participants stay free of SMA symptoms * How much salanersen gets into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. * How much salanersen gets into the blood. * How many participants have adverse events or serious adverse events. Adverse events are health problems that may or may not be caused by the study drug. This study will be done as follows: * First, participants will be screened to check if they can join the study. The screening period will be up to 28 days. * This is an "open label" study. This is a study in which the participants, study doctor, and site staff know which study drug participants are receiving. In this study, all participants will receive salanersen through an intrathecal injection, or one that is given into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. * There will be 2 parts in this study. During Part 1, participants will receive 2 doses of salanersen, about 12 months apart from each other. Part 1 will last up to 25 months. * During Part 2, participants will continue to receive salanersen. They will receive up to 3 doses, 12 months apart from each other. Part 2 will last up to 36 months. * During Part 1, participants will have up to 11 clinic visits and up to 3 phone calls. During Part 2, participants will have up to 7 clinic visits and up to 12 phone calls.Show more

Biogen has 8 FDA-approved drugs with a rare disease use that we track, as of November 2026.

Qalsody (tofersen), approved 2023: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Skyclarys (omaveloxolone), approved 2023: Friedreich Ataxia.

Tysabri (natalizumab), approved 2004: Multiple Sclerosis.

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), approved 2013: Multiple Sclerosis.

Spinraza (nusinersen), approved 2016: Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Avonex (interferon beta-1a), approved 1996: Multiple Sclerosis.

Plegridy Pen (peginterferon beta-1a), approved 2014: Multiple Sclerosis.

Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), approved 2019: Multiple Sclerosis.

Still in development: Felzartamab (Phase 3).

Source: the FDA's openFDA label database, matched to the rare diseases on Trial Friend; the list updates automatically and can include older products.

Yes, for 5 of its FDA-approved rare disease medicines that we track, each checked on Biogen's own website.

Qalsody: Biogen Support Services, 1-877-725-7639. Offers copay help with private insurance, infusion cost help and insurance help. Checked September 24, 2026.

Skyclarys: Biogen REACH, 1-844-987-3224. Offers copay help with private insurance and insurance help. Checked October 24, 2026.

Tysabri: Biogen Support Services, 1-800-456-2255. Offers copay help with private insurance, infusion cost help and insurance help. Checked September 24, 2026.

Tecfidera: Biogen Support Services, 1-800-456-2255. Offers copay help with private insurance and insurance help. Checked September 24, 2026.

Spinraza: SMA360°, 1-844-477-4672. Offers copay help with private insurance, infusion cost help and insurance help. Checked September 24, 2026.

Medicare and Medicaid: drugmaker copay cards are limited to private insurance, so people with government coverage usually look to a free medicine program or a charity fund, both on the help paying page.

Eligibility is decided by each program, so call the number listed before a prescription is filled.