Protesters in Georgia demanded treatment for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

On the 507th day of daily protests, participants in the weekly march demanded that the Georgian government import modern medications for the treatment of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Georgian government must import modern medications for the treatment of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, their parents declared at a protest outside the government office.

"Give the children medicine!" – with this slogan, thousands of people marched in Tbilisi today, demanding that the government fund the treatment of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and life-threatening disease, JamNews writes.

Protesters gathered in the city center, insisting on state funding for expensive gene therapy. The protest was preceded by protests by parents of sick children, who gathered daily outside the State Chancellery building, accusing the authorities of ignoring their numerous requests. They also called on the ruling party Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to meet with them in person, but, according to them, they have received no response.

The protest march, demanding medication for the children, proceeded from the Philharmonic Hall to the Chancellery (Government Administration). It was announced that from now on, every Monday at 5:00 PM, parents of children with Duchenne syndrome and citizens will hold a protest outside the Government Administration building, Tbilisi Life reports.

According to one of the organizers of the march, Kakha Tsikarishvili, parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy will begin a continuous protest outside the Government Administration building starting April 20, Interpressnews reports.

Duchenne disease (Duchenne muscular dystrophy) is diagnosed in approximately one in 3,500 to 4,000 boys and is characterized by progressive muscular dystrophy that manifests itself in early childhood and leads to the inability to walk as early as the second decade of life and, in most cases, to death in the second or third decade of life, a children's Doctor Evgeny Zolotov.

"The disease is caused by a change (mutation, most often a deletion or duplication) in the dystrophin gene, located on the X chromosome. The gene that causes the disease is located on the X chromosome, and therefore the disease is much more pronounced in boys, since they only have one X chromosome," he noted. According to him, this is a very rare and narrow specialization among doctors.

As a reminder, during the month of Ramadan, a fundraiser for 230 million rubles was closed for the treatment of a nine-year-old boy from Dagestan with Duchenne muscular dystrophy with the drug Elevidis. Earlier, on January 1, 2026, a fundraiser for another child from Dagestan with the same diagnosis was also closed. The Russian foundation "Circle of Kindness" only covers treatment for children diagnosed with this condition who are under nine years and one month old.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report, "Key Points to the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".