Drug information

A small molecule called 3-BrPA was able to lower levels of glycogen — a complex sugar that builds up to toxic levels in Pompe disease — and ameliorate muscle and heart structural defects in a new zebrafish model of the genetic disorder, a recent study has shown.

Long-term enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) to treat people with Pompe disease loses effectiveness in maintaining walking ability, muscle strength, and lung function, a new study shows. Despite these results, ERT improved lung function when compared to the predicted outcome without ERT, and some patients responded…

Adding carvedilol, the active compound of a blood pressure medicine, to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Pompe disease can improve its effectiveness in reaching and strengthening skeletal muscles, a study in mice suggests. This finding, “Evaluation of antihypertensive drugs in combination with enzyme replacement therapy in mice with…

The use of enzyme replacement therapy is safe and effective in Japanese people living with Pompe disease, a new study shows. Titled “Long-Term Observation of the Safety and Effectiveness of Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Japanese Patients with Pompe Disease: Results From the Post-marketing Surveillance,” the study…

Salmeterol, a vasodilator approved for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has shown potential to improve the effectiveness  of gene therapy for Pompe disease. Studies in mice demonstrated that administering salmeterol as an add-on treatment to gene therapy can significantly reduce the amount…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) to Amicus Therapeutics’ lead therapy candidate for the treatment of late-onset Pompe disease,  AT-GAA (ATB200/AT221). The FDA’s decision makes AT-GAA the first investigational therapy for Pompe disease to receive this regulatory status. It also further…

Sarepta Therapeutics and Aldevron have entered into a long-term partnership focusing on the supply of DNA molecules, called plasmids, that serve as carriers for different gene therapies, the companies announced. Under their agreement, Aldevron guarantees to provide the plasmids needed for Sarepta’s ongoing gene therapy programs and any potential programs…

Low-dose treatment with methotrexate can reduce the immune reaction that often accompanies enzyme replacement therapies in infants with Pompe disease, researchers report. Their study, “An immune tolerance approach using transient low-dose methotrexate in the ERT-naïve setting of patients treated with a therapeutic protein: experience in infantile-onset Pompe…

Interim results a from Phase 1/2 clinical trial support the therapeutic benefits of investigational therapy combination ATB200/AT2221 in patients with Pompe disease. Participants in the study showed improvements in motor and respiratory function. The therapy also resulted in a durable decrease of muscle damage biomarkers. These results will be presented…

Results of a Phase 4 clinical trial support the effectiveness of Lumizyme (4,000 liters recombinant human GAA) for 52 weeks in maintaining clinical stability in Pompe disease patients previously treated with the therapy’s 160-liter formulation, called Myozyme. The study, “Efficacy, safety profile, and immunogenicity of alglucosidase alfa…