Efficacy and safety of enzyme replacement therapy with alglucosidase alfa for the treatment of patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease: a systematic review and metanalysis

Introduction: Pompe disease (PD) is a glycogen disorder caused by the deficient activity of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). We sought to review the latest available evidence on the safety and efficacy of recombinant human GAA enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for infantile-onset PD (IOPD).

Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Embase databases for prospective clinical studies evaluating ERT for IOPD on pre-specified outcomes. Meta-analysis was also performed.

Results: Of 1,722 articles identified, 16 were included, evaluating 316 patients. Studies were heterogeneous and with very low certainty of evidence for most outcomes. A moderate/high risk of bias was present for most included articles. The following outcomes showed improvements associated with alglucosidase alfa, over natural history of PD/placebo, for a mean follow-up of 48.3 months: left ventricular (LV) mass {mean change 131.3 g/m² [95% confidence interval (CI) 81.02, 181.59]}, time to start ventilation (TSV) [HR 0.21 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.36)], and survival [HR 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.19)]. There were no differences between the pre- and post-ERT period for myocardial function and psychomotor development. Adverse events (AEs) after ERT were mild in most cases.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that alglucosidase alfa potentially improves LV mass, TSV, and survival in IOPD patients, with no important safety issues.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO identifier (CRD42019123700).