Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The level of variability seen during an ultrasound — a parameter called echo heterogeneity index — may help to quantify the level of skeletal muscle involvement in Pompe disease patients, a new study suggests. A lower EH index in the leg muscles was indicative of worse motor function, as…

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) given as early as possible may lead to better outcomes in children with classic infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD), according to a long-term study conducted in Taiwan. “Our study demonstrates that administering ERT as soon as feasible and employing short-term hydrocortisone premedication leads to better…

Infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, led to mild symptoms and no hospitalizations in people diagnosed with Pompe disease, a small Dutch study reports. However, since the patients had mild disease and were relatively young, more study is needed to assess outcomes in this population, the researchers…

Acceptable safety is being seen to date in four adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) given the one-time gene therapy  AT845 in the FORTIS Phase 1/2 trial, its developer, Astellas Gene Therapies, announced. Interim study data in these four enrolled patients, as of the Dec. 3 cutoff date, shows…

Pompe disease patients show severe impairments in diaphragm motion, the major muscle of respiration, when compared with those who have other muscle disorders or motor neuron diseases, a small study reports. The study, “Diaphragmatic dysfunction in neuromuscular disease, an MRI study,” was published in the journal Neuromuscular…

Despite treatment for years with Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) — marketed in the U.S. as Lumizyme — people with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) still develop airway abnormalities and experience reduced lung function, a small Taiwanese retrospective study shows. While none of the five patients in the study required a ventilator…

A new enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) targeting specific cell types boosts the delivery of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) — the enzyme missing or defective in Pompe disease patients — to muscle and heart cells, a study shows. Compared to standard ERT, the targeted approach by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals normalized the…

A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of avalglucosidase alfa, a next-generation enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) developed by Sanofi Genzyme, for people with Pompe disease. That recommendation, by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), paves the way for marketing authorization to be granted by…

Four new mutations in the GAA gene have been identified in a group of people with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to a study in Spain. The study “Genotype–phenotype correlation of 17 cases of Pompe disease in Spanish patients and identification of 4 novel GAA variants” was published in the Orphanet…

Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000in  grants, totaling up…