Disease Areas
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
ALS, also known as motor neurone disease (MND), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that robs people of the ability to move and leads them to lose their ability to speak — and eventually breathe.
Our Approach
For over a decade, Biogen has been committed to advancing ALS research to provide a deeper understanding of all forms of this devastating disease, which currently impacts an estimated 352,000 people worldwide.
Innovative Research
By leveraging established scientific capabilities and embarking on strong R&D collaborations, we’re determined to follow the science to advance a comprehensive, multi-modality ALS portfolio that fosters our long-term leadership in this space.
Stories
Sharon’s story
With a busy household and a husband who occasionally travels for work, Sharon’s organisational skills have been crucial. But what makes her ability to manage all of this truly remarkable is that she does it while living with motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord.i
Facts and Figures
50-60s
People living with ALS typically develop symptoms in their late 50s-60s, and most die from respiratory failure within two to three years from symptom onset. 1,2
2000
Around 2,000 Australians live with the disease, representing a total cost of approximately $ 2.37 billion to our society. 2
2
Two people die and two people are diagnosed with ALS every day in Australia. 2
- Martin S, Al Khleifat A, Al-Chalabi A. (2017). What causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? F1000Res. 2017 Mar 28;6:371.
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. (n.d.). Motor neurone disease (MND) facts and figures. Retrieved from https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-diseases-and-disorders/motor-neurone-disease/motor-neurone-disease-mnd-facts-and-figures
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