New treatment approved for Huntington’s Disease symptom

JACKSON, Tenn. — Experts are bringing attention to a new treatment for a disease that impacts thousands of Americans.

Huntington’s Disease is a hereditary disorder that causes nerve cells in the brain to break down. Around 90% of those diagnosed experience chorea, the defining symptom, which causes involuntary movements that can impact your daily life.

Dr. Erin Fur Stimming and HD advocate Katie Jackson spoke with us on the impacts of the disease, and shared details about the new treatment.

Jackson’s husband experienced chorea before his death, and she says she’s excited for the HD community to have a new option to manage the symptom. Dr. Stimming shares more.

“There are now three medications actually that are FDA-approved to treat Huntington’s-related chorea. The most recently approved medication is called Valbenazine, or Ingrezza,” Dr. Stimming said. “At the end of the clinical trial, at the end of the 12 weeks, we demonstrated that individuals that took Valbenazine had a three-times greater improvement in their chorea compared to those taking placebo.”

To learn more about Valbenazine/Ingrezza, click here.

To learn more about help for Huntington’s Disease, click here.

This interview is courtesy of Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.

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