'Amazing' staff are offering hope to kids living with muscle condition

Families affected by a rare muscle-wasting condition may soon benefit from a new treatment with fewer side effects than current options, thanks to a trial led by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

- by Charles Brown

The Guardian trial, which is being run through the NIHR clinical research facility at Leeds Children's Hospital, is investigating the long-term use of vamorolone in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

DMD is a genetic condition that usually affects boys. It causes progressive muscle weakness, with restricted mobility and a shorter life expectancy.

The newly-approved treatment aims to help children with DMD to maintain muscle strength for longer, whilst reducing some of the most difficult side-effects associated with existing medications.