New Drug Helps Kids With Premature-Aging Disease

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/24/161691083/experimental-drug-is-first-to-help-kids-with-premature-aging-disease

Researchers have found the first drug to treat progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease that causes children to age so rapidly that many die in their teens.

The drug, called lonafarnib, is not a cure. But in a study published Monday of 28 children, it reversed changes in blood vessels that usually lead to heart attacks and strokes.

The treatment also helped kids with the disease put on weight and improved the structure of their bones. Children with progeria have small fragile bodies and can weigh just a third of a typical child their age.