Clinical studies of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal degenerative disease of the anterior horn cells. Most therapeutic agents used in its treatment have failed to show substantial benefit. Riluzole is the first drug that has been shown to improve survival in patients with ALS. This review analyzes the clinical trials of riluzole in patients with ALS and interprets the results and their implications. Relevant questions and/or issues arising from these trials are posed, and their probable solutions, as well as areas of clinical trial methodology which require evaluation and development, are discussed.