New Drug Offers Hope For Rare Hunter Syndrome

(Play the video http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=14665@kovr.dayport.com  )

(CBS) BOSTON There is new hope for patients who suffer from Hunter Syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder. A Cambridge company has developed a new drug to help treat this potentially deadly condition.

Hunter Syndrome, caused when patients lack a particular enzyme, can cause developmental and breathing problems.

"Most patients with Hunter Syndrome are noticeably shorter than their peers and may also have more significant problems with their joints and skeleton that limits them," said Dr. Edward Neilan of Children's Hospital Boston.

That's why 13-year-old Kyle Plunkett took part in a clinical trial to test a new drug called Elaprase. It is a genetically engineered form of the human enzyme that's missing in Hunter patients.

"It's made me able to get taller and made me more flexible and faster," said Kyle.

Kyle's doctors and family say they've seen a big difference since he started taking the drug five years ago.

"I think his stamina, his pulmonary functions improved," said Kyle's mother Cindy Plunkett

The FDA has approved Elaprase to treat Hunter Syndrome, and Kyle hopes that it will help him and other patients continue to live a good life.
 

http://cbs13.com/health/local_story_338183919.html

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