Two new conditions are now recommended for newborn screening, officials said on Dec. 16.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approved adding Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Metachromatic leukodystrophy, or DMD and MLD, to the list of disorders for which officials recommend screening newborns.
“Early detection of DMD and MLD allows children to receive … approved therapies at the most effective time, helping to slow their disease progression and preserve their quality of life,” Kennedy said during an event in Washington.
“If we detect it in children very early on … we can save them from a shortened life of misery.”
Conditions are added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel when evidence indicates there is a potential net benefit for screening. The panel already includes dozens of disorders, including trifunctional protein deficiency, a rare genetic disorder. States decide whether to adopt each recommendation….