Adding L-alanine supplements to standard enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for a young girl with Pompe disease led to improvements in several metabolic and body composition measures, a case report shows. According to researchers, this was the first known report of oral supplements of L-alanine — an amino acid,…
enzyme replacement therapy
Macroglossia, or an abnormally enlarged tongue, caused difficulty swallowing, speech abnormalities, and reduced breathing during sleep for five people with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to a recent French study. Treatment with enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT), a standard of care for Pompe patients, did not alleviate the debilitating symptoms,…
It was nerve-wracking for my son, Cayden, to be the first child in Pennsylvania diagnosed with infantile-onset Pompe disease via newborn screening. It was four years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. Back then, Cayden’s visits felt very unorganized. However, our team of doctors has…
A program of supervised resistance exercise can improve muscle function — including in muscles needed to breathe — for adults with late onset Pompe disease (LOPD), a small study suggests. “Our findings encourage use of supervised exercise and inspiratory muscle training for improving physical function and health to improve…
Interruptions to Myozyme enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) regimens during the COVID-19 pandemic led to worsened motor symptoms and poorer respiratory function in patients with Pompe disease, a French study found. These decreases in motor and respiratory function — seen after just a couple of months — were not…
Long-term treatment with Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa) safely and effectively improves lung function and walking ability in children and adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to nearly two years of data from the Phase 3 COMET trial. These findings, along with positive long-term results from the Phase 2…
Long-term treatment with Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) — marketed in the U.S. as Lumizyme — results in variable but satisfactory motor and respiratory outcomes among older adults recently diagnosed with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), a study from Germany reported. According to its researchers, these findings were…
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,…
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…