Julie Cini,chief executive of SMA Australia,said the TGA decision was"exciting"news and the next step was to see it listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
"We've campaigned so hard for this as it shows fantastic promise,but a PBS listing would be the icing on the cake,"said Ms Cini,who lost two baby daughters to the disease a decade ago.
"There are 600 sufferers of all ages who will able to access this treatment and to SMA1 babies we can say,'You're not facing a death sentence anymore'."
SMA is the most common genetic cause of death in children under two years of age. It is caused by a defect in the survival motor neuron (SMN1) gene and occurs in about one in 6000 to 11,000 births.