The enzyme stabilizer Opfolda (miglustat), one part of the two-component therapy formerly known as AT-GAA (cipaglucosidase alfa/miglustat), has been approved by the European Commission to treat adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). The news comes a few months after the other part of AT-GAA, the enzyme replacement Pombiliti…

Whenever it was time to play dodgeball in my elementary school years, I was always picked last. Growing up, I wasn’t physically gifted. I couldn’t run, and I moved slowly. For a kid, my balance was uncharacteristically off. Despite being raised in Southern California, I was unable to surf,…

Regulatory approval in the European Union for miglustat, a component of the two-part investigational therapy AT-GAA for adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), has been recommended by a branch of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the body responsible for monitoring drug therapies in the EU. A decision on whether or…

Back in the summer of 2018, when I started experiencing some serious symptoms, I wondered if I had ALS or another similar disorder. I noticed I wasn’t able to stand up from a seated position. If I was sitting on the couch, I’d have to extend my arms…

Nearly three years of treatment with Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa) led to long-term improvements in walking ability and lung function for people with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to new data from the Phase 3 clinical trial COMET. …

Regulatory authorities in the U.S. and the U.K. are expected to decide in the third quarter of this year whether or not to approve AT-GAA as a treatment for late-onset Pompe disease, according to its developer, Amicus Therapeutics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously…

Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) patients exhibit significant gene activity changes in their skeletal muscles compared with healthy people, some of which were normalized after six months of Nexviazyme (avalglucosidase alfa) treatment, a study found. Pathways involved in lysosome function, energy metabolism, and inflammation appeared to be most altered,…

I was excited yet nervous for my recent bucket-list vacation to Hawaii with my wife, Jean, her best friend from Montana, and one of my co-workers. The four of us flew six hours to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines and stayed on the ninth floor of Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club,…

In an interview study, mothers of children who tested positive for Pompe disease in genetic newborn screening programs — and would be diagnosed with the late-onset type, or LOPD — expressed uncertainty about the age of symptom onset for their sons and daughters, and concerns about their child’s future.

I remember the day vividly. It was an overcast morning on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. My wife and I hopped in the car and headed north toward Marina del Rey, California, giving me an hour to contemplate all the thoughts racing through my mind. A few months earlier, my neurologist…