Washington, D.C. — The Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) has awarded a $3 million grant to Edison Pharmaceuticals to advance the development of EPI-A0001 for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia. While continuing to support Friedreich's ataxia research intended to discover potential therapeutic approaches, FARA, with this new grant, demonstrates its additional focus on translating such discoveries into therapeutic initiatives — moving from drug discovery to drug development. FARA's board sees this new step as part of developing a balanced portfolio of both research and development initiatives, and will seek to fund other promising therapeutic programs through a variety of mechanisms.
"The Edison program is compelling in terms of the quality of science, the experience of the team and the promise it shows for treatment in the near term," stated Mr. Ronald Bartek, President of FARA. "FARA's mission is to slow, stop and reverse the damage done by Friedreich's ataxia. This first FARA grant in drug development reflects the fact that we believe scientific research is on the threshold of treatments that will stop this disease in its tracks — even beginning the process of reversal. FARA is proud to have played a role in Edison's kickoff and we are eager to help move its program promptly through the required preclinical stages."