ERT

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

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…