New drug offers hope for UW Health patient with rare, inherited ALS
DAVID WAHLBERG
Updated
Michelle Francis gets an injection of tofersen, or Qalsody, from Dr. Collin Kreple at UW Hospital. It's the first drug approved for an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In Francis' family, the condition has been traced back seven generations.
As Michelle Francis leaned on a pillow off the side of a hospital bed, a doctor injected a new drug through a long needle into the fluid around her spine.
In a statement, manager Suzanne Koga announced that the Grammy Award-winning artist has been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
UW Health neurologist Dr. Collin Kreple prepares a dose of tofersen, or Qalsody, for patient Michelle Francis. The Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved the drug in April.
UW Health staff help Michelle Francis, whose legs are weak from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, transfer from her wheelchair to a hospital bed to get a drug injection.
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Michelle Francis, whose mother and grandfather died from ALS, also has an inherited form of the disease. Her two children haven't been tested. She's grateful a new treatment is available for her and possibly them. “There’s been nothing like this before, to target this particular mutation in ALS," she said.
Michelle Francis gets an injection of tofersen, or Qalsody, from Dr. Collin Kreple at UW Hospital. It's the first drug approved for an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In Francis' family, the condition has been traced back seven generations.
UW Health neurologist Dr. Collin Kreple prepares a dose of tofersen, or Qalsody, for patient Michelle Francis. The Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved the drug in April.
UW Health staff help Michelle Francis, whose legs are weak from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, transfer from her wheelchair to a hospital bed to get a drug injection.
Michelle Francis, whose mother and grandfather died from ALS, also has an inherited form of the disease. Her two children haven't been tested. She's grateful a new treatment is available for her and possibly them. “There’s been nothing like this before, to target this particular mutation in ALS," she said.
