Minocycline, Mice, and ALS

Lou Gehrig's disease, otherwise known as ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurological disease that leads to death. So far, no drug has been found effective against ALS in humans. But for some mice tested at McGill University in Montreal, a promising new answer appears to be in the powdered generic form of minocycline. Taken in their regular diet, the drug delayed the onset of motor neuron degeneration and the usual decline in muscle strength, and increased longevity by five weeks for 70 percent of the tested mice. "These results indicate that minocycline, which is clinically well tolerated, may represent a novel and effective drug for treatment of ALS," the authors say.