If we didn’t screen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), imagine what they might miss.
Every parent wants a future bright and rich with endless imaginative possibilities for their baby. Through the eyes of a child, magical adventures are endless. But children with the most severe forms of SMA, if left untreated, may not live long enough to experience them.
SMA is a rare, devastating genetic disease that leads to progressive muscle weakness, paralysis, and, when left untreated in its most severe forms, permanent ventilation or death in 90% of cases by age two.1,2
Many clinicians may not initially recognize the early signs of SMA, which leads to delays in diagnosis and treatment. As such, Novartis Gene Therapies recognizes the critical importance of newborn screening for SMA and advocates for its implementation globally, alongside patient advocacy organizations and others in the healthcare industry.
See the Unseen is an unbranded disease awareness campaign that has been designed by Novartis Gene Therapies to raise awareness of the importance of newborn screening in rare, yet treatable, genetic diseases, like SMA.
For information about newborn screening in your region, please see here.