News

Patients with classic infantile-onset Pompe disease could benefit from increased dosing of Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa), an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) marketed as Lumizyme in the U.S., according to a real-world European study. Benefits were seen in improved survival and ability to walk. “On the basis of our results,…

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…

Gene therapy given with chaperones — specific molecules known to stabilize the structure of proteins — was found to enhance the availability of acid alpha-glucosidase, known as GAA, the missing or defective enzyme in Pompe disease (PD), in a mouse model. The treatment subsequently eased disease symptoms, with the…

L-carnitine — a molecule often taken as an oral dietary supplement — boosts the efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), increasing by four times the activity of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA), the faulty enzyme in Pompe disease, in patient-derived cells, a study shows. The molecule was found to stabilize…

The European Medicines Agency has accepted applications from Amicus Therapeutics seeking approval of AT-GAA, a two-component investigational therapy for the treatment of Pompe disease. “The acceptance of these filings is an important step forward for people living with Pompe disease and their families in Europe. Patients need new…

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…

Antioxidants can increase the effectiveness of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Pompe disease caused by oxidative stress, the damage in cells or tissues by reactive oxygen molecules, according to a study in cells and mice. The findings also showed that enhancing autophagy — the destruction of damaged or redundant…

Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa), a next-generation enzyme replacement therapy, has been approved by Health Canada for people with late-onset Pompe disease ages 6 months and older. “The Health Canada approval of Nexviazyme is an important milestone for Canadian Pompe patients and may represent a new standard of care,” Mark…

The prevalence of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) in people across the U.S. and in Montreal, Canada, who lack an official diagnosis but have its characteristic neuromuscular symptoms — including neck and proximal muscle weakness or elevated creatine kinase levels (a marker of muscle damage)…

Fatigue, pain, muscle weakness, and breathing difficulties are the most common and highly disabling symptoms of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to a study that combined data collected from published literature, expert clinician interviews, and patient interviews. In addition, patients reported that mobility problems had the most impact on…