The Wonderful Outcome of the Ice Bucket Challenge

The FDA approves AMX0035, the first ALS drug in five years, thanks to funding from the viral challenge

“Veronica’s Ice Bucket Challenge” by madmarv00 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The water had to be ice cold and you had to be recorded doing the stunt, but after you got doused, you got to dare someone else to do it too. However, there was a way to opt out — you could avoid the hypothermia practice by donating money to ALS research, a disease with no known cure. 2014's Ice Bucket Challenge was perfect internet content: it encouraged participation, utilized social networking, and raised awareness and money for a debilitating disease.

Over 17 million people publicly participated in the challenge, either by getting dunked or donating to the cause. Everyday users to celebrities, athletes, reality stars, and politicians played along. The internet challenge raised $115 million and $2.2 million went to developing medication for the disease that attacks the nerve centers of the body.

On September 29, almost a decade after the challenge, the Food and Drug…