New research has demonstrated that a combined regimen of growth hormone and testosterone is safe, well-tolerated, and is associated with meaningful improvements in muscle mass, strength, and mobility for men living with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Researchers believe that this regime could benefit patients with other forms of muscular dystrophy .

“We’ve never seen a therapy in FSHD deliver both real gains in strength and lasting benefit after treatment stops,” said Chad Heatwole, MD, director of the University of Rochester Center for Health + Technology, and principal investigator and lead author of the study in Neurology Genetics. “This hormone combination could mark the first treatment to not only slow this disease, but help patients regain function.”

FSHD is a

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