Could a pill soon replace injections for kids with achondroplasia?

The FDA is reviewing oral infigratinib on a Priority Review timetable, but the medicine is not yet approved and the decision is due in February 2027.

BridgeBio said on Oct. 6 that the FDA accepted oral infigratinib for Priority Review, setting a target decision date of Feb. 4, 2027; if approved, it would be the first oral therapy for children with achondroplasia.

A once-daily pill could reduce the burden of current injectable treatment, but easier dosing does not replace careful specialist monitoring or prove long-term benefit. In Phase 3 PROPEL 3, the company reported a 2.10 cm-per-year improvement in annualized height velocity and statistically significant gains in body proportionality and arm span. Sleep-apnea and ear-infection measures moved in a favorable direction, but the drug is still under review, approval is not guaranteed, and families should discuss the full evidence, side effects, and existing choices with a specialist.