Astellas Returns to Gene Therapy for Rare Disease XLMTM After Previous Trial Disaster

May 12, 2026

Astellas resumed gene therapy trials for X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) on May 11, 2026, five years after a previous trial where some boys died while others had astonishing recoveries. The resurrected program offers new hope to the rare disease community. One patient, Joshua Jacob Gonzalez, experienced dramatic improvement after treatment at the National Institutes of Health, no longer requiring constant airway suctioning.

XLMTM gene therapy revival

▪Alzheimer's drug adoption was underwhelming as of May 11, 2026.
▪Astellas resumed gene therapy trials for X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) as of May 11, 2026.
▪Astellas' XLMTM gene therapy program was described as a resurrected effort in a once-devastated rare disease program.

Joshua Gonzalez treatment outcome

▪Joshua Jacob Gonzalez's parents, Javier and Jessica Gonzalez, suctioned saliva from the back of Joshua Jacob Gonzalez's mouth every five minutes for the first two years of Joshua Jacob Gonzalez's life.
▪A few weeks after treatment at the National Institutes of Health, Jessica Gonzalez noticed that an hour had elapsed without suctioning and Joshua Jacob Gonzalez was breathing fine.
▪The treatment outcome for the Gonzalez family was described as both miraculous and bittersweet.
▪Missing one suction could cause Joshua Jacob Gonzalez's airways to clog and Joshua Jacob Gonzalez could die.

FDA leadership turmoil

▪The FDA experienced fresh turmoil at the very top of the agency as of May 11, 2026.
▪Questions swirled over whether FDA Commissioner Marty Makary would be ousted during the weekend before May 11, 2026.

Perspective of XLMTM patient families (e.g., Gonzalez family)

▪Jessica Gonzalez noticed that an hour had elapsed without suctioning Joshua Jacob Gonzalez after treatment at the National Institutes of Health, whereas previously missing one suction could cause Joshua Jacob Gonzalez's airways to clog and he could die.