On September 15, 2022, the regional government of Galicia, Spain announced they would add three new diseases to the regional screening programme, including SMA, and begin screening for SMA by the end of 2022. Galicia has one of the most comprehensive newborn screening programmes in Spain. There are currently three ongoing pilots for SMA newborn screening in Spain: Valencia & Sevilla, Malaga, and Madrid. Read the original Spanish article here.

Read the new article published in August 2022, written in part by SMA NBS Alliance members from the University of Groningen and Novartis Gene Therapies, about the cost-effectiveness of newborn screening for SMA in the Netherlands.

UK SMA Newborn Screening Alliance has launched its website and social media channels to update the Community with progress towards newborn screening. Find out more about the Alliance – check out their website and follow them on social media for all the latest updates.

Prof. Laurent Servais talks about the financial cost and quality of life of patients with SMA. He shows one family that had two children born with SMA, one was detected at birth through newborn screening and treated early, and the other child was diagnosed with SMA after symptoms already started. The positive outcomes of SMA newborn screening, in terms of impact on the children detected early, and the financial costs associated with lifelong disability are highlighted.