Disease index

spinal muscular atrophy

Rare disease · 2017–2025

14decisions
3medicines
13carried consumer input
1,556individual submissions

Every decision

MedicineMeetingOutcomeConsumer input
risdiplam Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adults and paediatric patients (symptomatic Type I, II or IIIa SMA) aged 2 years or older weighing 20 kg or more. Nov 2025 Recommended with restriction 1 individuals
risdiplam Treatment of pre-symptomatic spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients aged under 36 months with confirmed genetic diagnosis (SMN1 deletion or mutation) and 3… Jul 2024 Recommended with restriction 1 individuals
onasemnogene abeparvovec Pre-symptomatic treatment of babies with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and 3 copies of the Survival Motor Neuron 2 (SMN2) gene. Jul 2023 Recommended with restriction input received Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · Sydney Children Hospital Network
risdiplam Treatment of 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adults with symptom onset prior to 19 years of age and no prior disease-modifying treatment during childhood,… Mar 2023 Recommended with restriction 22 individuals
nusinersen Treatment of adult patients (aged 19 years or older) diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with symptom onset before 19 years of age (primarily SMA… Mar 2022 Recommended with restriction input received
onasemnogene abeparvovec Treatment of pre-symptomatic paediatric patients less than 9 months of age with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who are genetically diagnosed with bi-allelic… Nov 2022 Not recommended 22 individuals Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · National Network · Paediatric Neuromuscular Clinical Research Network
nusinersen Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adult patients (>18 years) with 5q SMA who experienced signs and symptoms prior to 19 years of age. Jul 2021 Not recommended 72 individuals Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW · Duchenne Australia · SMA Australia
risdiplam Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Types 1, 2, and 3a in patients aged 18 years or under at treatment initiation (Population 1); SMA Type 3b in… Mar 2021 Recommended with restriction 219 individuals SMA Australia · Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW
nusinersen Extension of listing for pre-symptomatic initiation of treatment in patients with genetically confirmed spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with SMN1 deletion or… Jul 2020 Recommended with restriction 11 individuals Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · Rare Voices Australia
nusinersen Treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients with symptom onset prior to 19 years of age, with removal of the age limit of 18 years for initiation of… Nov 2020 Not recommended 121 individuals SMA Australia
nusinersen Pre-symptomatic initiation of treatment of patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) who have SMN1 deletion or mutation with up to 3 copies of the SMN2 gene… Jul 2019 Deferred input received Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · Rare Voices Australia
nusinersen Pre-symptomatic initiation of treatment of patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) who have up to 3 copies of the survival-of-motor-neuron 2 (SMN2) gene. Jul 2019 Deferred input received Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · Rare Voices Australia
nusinersen Treatment of paediatric patients with infantile-onset or childhood-onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) with onset of symptoms prior to 3 years of age. Jul 2018 Recommended with restriction no section in document
nusinersen Treatment of infantile-onset (Type I) and childhood-onset (Types II and III) spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Nov 2017 Not recommended 1,087 individuals SMA Australia · Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW

Who spoke

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia · SMA Australia · Rare Voices Australia · Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW · Duchenne Australia · Sydney Children Hospital Network · National Network · Paediatric Neuromuscular Clinical Research Network

What the PBS pays

$106M in government benefit over 2024–25, across 2,111 services.

This is spend on the medicines considered for this condition, not spend on the disease. A medicine used for several conditions is counted in full under each, so figures across conditions add to more than national PBS expenditure.

MedicineGovernment benefit
nusinersen $55.2M
risdiplam $49.3M
onasemnogene abeparvovec $1.5M

Appraised elsewhere

NICE, in England and Wales, has appraised 1 technology for this condition, recommending 1 . A different committee, a different population and a different price: this is what has been looked at there, not a verdict on what happened here.

TechnologyAppraisalOutcomeDate
nusinersen and risdiplamNusinersen and risdiplam for treating spinal muscular atrophy TA1162 recommended restricted 2026-06

Conditions are classified by a language model from the indication text of each submission, so an individual label here can be wrong. Consumer input is read from the document's own consumer comments section: 13 of 14 decisions since 2014 carried some. Silence means no comment reached the committee through that facility, not that nobody was affected. More on how this was built.