The global market is expected to witness a high growth owing to various funding provided by both public and private organizations. Due to rising prices of drugs for the treatment of rare diseases and conditions, industry players are seeking funding to support the continued development of a flexible, low cost, treatment approach. These funds greatly encourage researchers and pharmaceutical companies to experiment on new technology, thereby, helping players to develop new and innovative products. The key market players include PTC Therapeutics, Sarepta Therapeutics, to name some.
For instance, in February 2017, Exonics Therapeutics, Inc. received US$ 5 Million in seed financing from CureDuchenne Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of the nonprofit CureDuchenne. The initial seed funding will allow Exonics to advance the preclinical research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. Furthermore, in Feb 2017, DMD Therapeutics, Inc., a start-up biotech company, received US$ 400,000 in initial funding from three foundations, Ryan's Quest, Michael's Cause, and Pietro's Fight, for developing proprietary therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. DMD Therapeutics is now moving DMD-813 into drug development.
Likewise, DMDfund, a non-profit organization founded by parents, relatives and friends of kids who have DMD, is dedicated to finding a cure for DMD by funding research. Moreover, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the biggest comprehensive nonprofit organization in the US, has invested over US$ 45 Million into Duchenne research which has leveraged over US$ 500 Million in additional funding. Furthermore, in September 2015, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the world’s leading nonprofit health agency, announced the award of 36 new research and development funds, with a sum of about US$ 10 Million. The new grants totaling US$ 2 Million will support 8 new research projects aimed at increasing the knowledge on DMD underlying mechanisms. Such developments have opened an array of opportunities for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.