Senators push FDA to approve drug for rare disease

Two Republican senators want the Food and Drug Administration to approve a new drug to treat a rare, fatal disease despite concerns about whether it actually works.

Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Dan Coats, R-Ind., are disappointed that a panel of experts did not recommend a new drug called Sarepta for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal disease that mainly affects young boys. The senators’ call follows a massive online grassroots effort to get the agency to approve the drug despite questions about its safety.