Progressing a family can provide hope for thousands of parents who have been told to their children will never speak.
When their son, Mason, now 5 years old, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism at the age of two and a half, the Connor family was determined to find something to help him speak.
After numerous failed treatments, Mason’s father, Joe, encountered a study by Dr. Richard Frye, a pediatric neurologist who was researching experimental treatments for children with autism.
Frye suggested to try Leucovor, a free generic drug usually prescribed to cancer patients to calm the effects of chemotherapy.
Just three days later, Mason said his first words.
Leucovor is made of folic acid, also called vitamin B9, which occurs in the form of folates in foods such as leafy greens, Brussels sprouts and avocados.
Some research has shown that many children with autism have low levels of folate in their brains, a condition known as the lack of cerebral folates (CFD). Other studies show that a significant number of children with autism possess antibodies that may interfere with the transport of folate in the brain.
This can help explain why the drug can help children with autism with their communication issues.
“It can really have a significant impact on a very good percentage of children with autism,” Frye CBS told.
“We’ve done science, and the next step is that we want to get more funds so that we can approve that FDA,” he added.
This science includes its study in 2020, published in seminars in pediatric neurology. Of the 44 children with alpha autoantibodies of the autism and folate receptor, two -thirds treated with the drug showed the improvement of the language.
Another study he published in 2018 included 48 children with autism and language damage, given Leucovor or a placebo. After 12 weeks, those who took the drug showed “improvement in verbal communication measures” compared to those in the placebo.
Mason is not the only child whose parents have talked about success with Leucovor. A little girl named Meghan, who underwent clinical test at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix Children, with no improvement in language, communication, behavior and social skills.
“We were almost convinced that she was getting [leucovorin calcium in the first phase] Because we saw significant changes within two weeks from the start of the study, “said her mother Marie.” It was pretty dramatic. “
“We have greatly improved our family life,” she added.
Sadly, there is a catch.
“Leucovor is an old medicine and you can get it for a very low price,” he explained. “So no one will make a lot of money for it. So there is no reason for them to invest.”
This means that, for now, medicines can only be prescribed for “off-label” autism-that is when a drug is prescribed for a condition that differs from its purpose approved by the FDA.
According to the CDC, about 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder in the United States, an increase from estimation 1 to 44 in 2018.
#Autistic #nonverbal #child #speaks #kimo #generic #medicines
Image Source : nypost.com