Effectiveness of riluzole in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron degenerative disease with high mortality and few therapies. One of these is riluzole, inspite of uncertainty effectiveness. Objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the survival rate associated with the use of this medication in the treatment of ALS. Methods: The study was based on a narrative review of the scientific articles that used randomized controled trials with riluzole for ALS. We selected articles published in english during the period of January 1th, 2000 to December 31th, 2020. The MeSH terms “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis” or “motor neuron disease” and “riluzole” or “rilutek” were used in Pubmed and Lilacs databases. Studies that used only patients with advanced stage ALS were excluded. The t-Student test between sample means was applied to determine the significance of the difference between the survival time (years) of the riluzole and placebo treatment, for a 95% confidence level. Results: through the search, four articles were obtained (Table 1). Conclusion: Data analysis showed that riluzole is only effective in the first year. From the second onward, it does not exceed the results of the placebo.