News

A majority of rare disease patients using telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic thought the experience positive, and many would like the option of continuing its use in future appointments, a series of surveys found. The surveys were conducted by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and involved more than 800…

Children with classic infantile Pompe disease treated for years with Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa, marketed as Lumizyme in the U.S) exhibit muscle weakness in their lower legs, feet, and hands in addition to the proximal muscle weakness that typifies late-onset Pompe,…

Same But Different, a nonprofit U.K. group that uses art for social change, is inviting people to choose their favorite photographs in a calendar contest to heighten awareness of rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The organization’s panel of judges has pared the number of contest submissions…

The European Medicines Agency agreed to begin reviewing Sanofi Genzyme’s application requesting the approval of avalglucosidase alfa, its investigational enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for people with Pompe disease. According to a press release, a regulatory decision is expected in the second half of 2021, and if…

Fertility in women is not affected by late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), but pregnancy may initiate or worsen symptoms, a small study found.  The study, “Pregnancy Outcomes in Late Onset Pompe Disease,” was published in the journal…

It took one year for Dona Krystosek to get a diagnosis for her son, Levi, after he was born. The family received three misdiagnoses of fatal diseases until they found out Levi has Jansen’s metaphyseal chondrodysplasia — an extremely rare form of dwarfism.   “The hardest…

Adding a preventive short-course immunomodulatory regimen — rituximab, methotrexate, and intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) — to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) safely provides long-term protection from antibodies that can block ERT’s effectiveness in children with classic infantile Pompe disease, a study found. These findings highlight that the benefits…

Spark Therapeutics has resumed enrollment into two international clinical studies testing SPK-3006, the company’s investigational gene therapy for Pompe disease. Recruitment of adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) into both studies — the seroprevalence SPK-GAA-100 study (NCT03893240) and the Phase 1/2 RESOLUTE trial…

As it does each September during Newborn Screening Awareness Month, Baby’s First Test is sharing information and stories that highlight efforts throughout the U.S. to bring attention to newborn testing. Baby’s First Test is a program of Expecting Health, an organization focused on pregnancy and newborn health. The…

Same But Different, a U.K. nonprofit that uses the arts to bring communities together, is holding a calendar photography competition to raise awareness for rare diseases. Under the theme “A Glimmer of Hope,” the competition is a means to “visually express the hope that exists for people affected by…