We continue to press Cigna to reverse course and make Relyvrio treatment available for people living with ALS on Cigna plans. While Cigna initially revised its policy, those changes were insufficient to ensure timely access to Relyvrio for people living with ALS.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a global phenomenon that changed the fight against ALS forever. In the summer of 2014, three young men living with ALS took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and inspired people around the world to dump ice water on their heads and donate to an ALS organization. Over 17 million people participated in the Challenge and raised $115 million for The ALS Association.
June 21 is a solstice, a turning point, if you will, and each year the ALS/MND community around the world celebrates Global ALS/MND Awareness Day to express their hope that this day will be yet another turning point in the search for causes, treatments and ultimately a cure of ALS/MND.
Before his diagnosis, John Russo had two fears: the first was getting attacked by a shark while fishing at night, and the second was being diagnosed with ALS. He managed to avoid the sharks, but not ALS. After taking a few weeks to process what the rest of his life would look like, he realized he needed to face down his biggest fear and keep going. He found a new purpose: making life better for people living with ALS across the country, as well as deepening research efforts to learn more about the disease.
The FDA announced it has granted accelerated approval to tofersen, a treatment for people living with mutations of the SOD1 gene. This is a significant victory for the ALS community and our efforts to make ALS livable for everyone, everywhere, until we can cure it.
In 2016, Troy Fields had everything going for him. A beautiful and growing family. A highly successful and satisfying career that allowed him to travel internationally. But he also started to notice signs that something wasn’t quite right. After treatment for cancer and a battery of other tests, his ALS diagnosis was eventually confirmed. Instead of focusing on what he was going to lose, Troy opted to channel his energies to be an agent of change for the ALS community.
Our public policy priorities focus on the three main pillars of making ALS livable: Find New Treatments and Cures, Optimize Current Treatments and Care, and Prevent or Delay the Harms of ALS.