(Yicai Global) April 30 -- Spinraza, a drug that treats spinal muscular atrophy made by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based multinational biotechnology company Biogen, went on sale in China this week.

The medicine is the world's first and only one for the treatment of SMA, health-care media Life Times reported yesterday.

The condition is a rare hereditary neuromuscular disorder that causes severe muscle atrophy and weakness. The Chinese government granted the go-ahead to Spinraza's entry into the country in February.

The drug's acceptance reflects official attention to the urgent need for pharmaceuticals to treat rare diseases, said Wen Haoji, head of Asia Pacific at Biogen, per the report.

The approval will expand the company's presence in China, according to the company's earnings report, and Spinraza will initially be available in to self-paying patients as the company works to enlist health plans at provincial and national levels.

Editor: Ben Armour