FDA seems poised to approve a new drug for ALS, but does it work?

The drugmaker Amylyx is asking the FDA to approve a new medication for ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. It's possible the agency could greenlight the drug by the end of the month. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

The Food and Drug Administration is likely to approve a controversial new drug for ALS by the end of the month.

But it's still not clear whether the drug, called AMX0035, truly helps people with ALS, a rare and fatal neurological disorder that eventually leaves a person unable to walk, talk, swallow and breathe.