Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Switching from Lumizyme (alglucosidase alfa) to Pombiliti + Opfolda (a combination of cipaglucosidase alfa and miglustat) may help patients with late-onset Pompe disease move around more easily, suggesting a shift toward better quality of life, according to an exploratory analysis of Phase 3 data. The Phase…

Some individuals with limb-girdle muscular weakness, a hallmark symptom of a type of muscular dystrophy, may instead be found to have Pompe disease by genetic panel testing, according to a new study with data from more than 2,000 patients in 21 countries. That testing used next-generation sequencing, or NGS,…

Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa), sold as Lumizyme in the U.S., eased breathing but did not improve motor function of the arms and legs in an Iranian woman with late-onset Pompe disease who went undiagnosed for many years, according to a case report. The researchers say this case highlights the…

Combination therapy Pombiliti plus Opfolda (cipaglucosidase alfa/miglustat) may help people with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) walk farther and breathe better compared with Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa), particularly if they’ve been on enzyme replacement therapy for longer, according to a meta-analysis of clinical trials and real-world data. The study, “…

Early immune tolerance induction with rituximab, methotrexate, and intravenous (into-the-vein) immunoglobulin may have prevented twin babies with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) from developing antibodies against enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), according to a case report from the U.S. The report, “Optimizing clinical outcomes: The journey of twins with CRIM-negative…

Two girls in Colombia with early-onset Pompe disease saw their symptoms improve after methotrexate treatment reduced the levels of antibodies they had developed against enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), according to a case report. ERT antibodies can cause the therapy to stop working. Methotrexate, a chemotherapy, can work as an…

Researchers in the U.S. used a gene-editing tool in the lab to correct mutations known to cause infantile-onset Pompe disease, and this enabled patient-derived cells to produce a working version of the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) enzyme they lacked. The approach “may offer an efficacious, long-term therapy,” the researchers wrote,…

Early treatment with at least two cycles of bortezomib may help lower the levels of antibodies that can make enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) less effective, according to a report of two young children with infantile-onset Pompe disease. The cases add to earlier reports that bortezomib, an injectable medication…

Sanofi’s Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa), an enzyme replacement therapy approved for Pompe disease, doesn’t appear to be linked to new or worsening diabetes, a concern raised by the presence of dextrose, a simple sugar, in the solution for infusion. In a study funded by Sanofi, researchers also…

A gene therapy designed to travel into muscles resulted in widespread production of the enzyme that’s missing or faulty in Pompe disease, according to a study that also describes a new rat model of the infantile-onset form of the disease. Researchers also observed that rats given a single…