What are RILUTEK tablets, and how do they work?
RILUTEK is the first effective treatment for people with ALS. Although researchers don’t fully understand how RILUTEK works, one explanation is that RILUTEK may protect nerve cells from overexposure to a substance called glutamate. This protection could explain the effect of RILUTEK on extending the time of survival or time to tracheostomy of people with ALS. Glutamate is a substance the body naturally makes that carries signals to the motor neurons. This is one link in the chain of how the brain tells the muscles what to do. Too much glutamate “burns out” the motor neurons so that they can’t carry the brain’s messages to the muscles in order for them to function.
