Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Secunderabad, has successfully administered its eighth gene therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), reaffirming its position as a national leader in advanced paediatric care. This latest achievement involved the administration of Zolgensma, a one-time gene therapy designed to treat SMA by replacing the faulty SMN1 gene responsible for the disease.

Spearheaded by Dr. Ramesh Konanki, Consultant Pediatric Neurologist, this procedure marks a significant step in the hospital’s ongoing efforts to offer life-saving treatments for rare genetic conditions. Zolgensma is among the most advanced and expensive therapies globally, costing approximately Rs 14 crore per dose. Delivered through an adeno-associated viral vector, the therapy enables production of the SMN protein essential for motor neuron survival and muscle function.

SMA is a severe genetic neuromuscular disorder that affects about 1 in 10,000 children worldwide. In India, nearly 1,000 children are currently living with this life-threatening condition. Without early intervention, many infants may not survive beyond two years of age.

Rainbow Children’s Hospital is one of the few centers in India – and the only one in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – equipped with the infrastructure and multidisciplinary expertise to administer Zolgensma. Post-therapy, patients require regular monitoring to ensure early detection and management of potential side effects. The child’s father, Vineet Chaudary, expressed deep gratitude to the hospital team and donors for making the treatment possible, calling it “a renewed hope” for their family.