Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended by three months its review of Sanofi Genzyme‘s application seeking approval of avalglucosidase alfa, its next-generation enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Pompe disease. The date for an agency decision regarding approval, previously set for May 18, is now Aug. 18. “Sanofi…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…

In an effort to raise public awareness and increase understanding of Pompe disease, the 8th Annual International Pompe Day will be celebrated on April 15. This year’s theme is “Pompe Around the World,” the International Pompe Association (IPA) announced. The event’s slogan is “Together We Are Strong.” “The…

Amicus Therapeutics is seeking U.S. approval of AT-GAA, its investigational therapy for late-onset Pompe disease. The company has begun a rolling submission of a biologics license application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This allows Amicus to submit individual sections of the application as soon they are…

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial is recruiting adults with late-onset Pompe disease to test Audentes Therapeutics‘ investigational gene therapy AT845, the company has announced. The trial (NCT04174105) will be conducted at clinical sites in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. It aims to recruit up to…

Two novel mutations in the GAA gene were linked with cerebral stroke in two siblings with late-onset Pompe disease (PD), a study from China reports. The study, “GAA compound heterozygous mutations associated with autophagic impairment cause cerebral infarction in Pompe disease,” was published in the journal…

The number of treatments for children with rare diseases has grown over the past decade, according to a new study. However, despite the increase, nearly 7,000 rare diseases are still lacking treatment. And federal incentives to boost treatment development for these rare diseases have primarily focused not on creating new…

Aging and vascular risk factors, not enzyme replacement therapy or the disease itself, may increase the risk of late-onset Pompe disease patients developing white matter lesions in the brain, a study suggests. The study, “White matter lesions in treated late onset Pompe disease are not different to matched controls,”…

Chinese patients with late-onset Pompe disease develop symptoms and are diagnosed at least 10 years earlier than patients from other areas of the world, a Pompe disease registry shows. The study, “Characteristics of Pompe disease in China: a report from the Pompe registry” was published in the journal…