AMCH becomes Northeast India’s first centre to administer enzyme replacement therapy for lysosomal storage disease

Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh, has achieved a significant milestone in specialised healthcare by successfully administering Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) to a three-and-a-half-year-old child diagnosed with a lysosomal storage disease (LSD).

According to information released by the institution, the therapy was administered using Velaglucerase alfa, making AMCH the first centre in Northeast India to successfully provide this specialised treatment for an LSD patient.

The procedure was conducted under the leadership of Dr Arpita Gogoi of the Department of Paediatrics, with support from a multidisciplinary team of doctors and specialists at AMCH.

The treatment was delivered through the medical college’s Centre of Excellence for Rare Diseases, established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, under the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021.

Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of rare genetic and metabolic disorders that can require specialised diagnostic facilities, long-term clinical management and disease-specific therapies. Access to such treatments can be particularly challenging for patients in regions where specialised rare disease services are limited.

The successful administration of ERT at AMCH marks an expansion of the hospital’s capabilities in the diagnosis and management of rare diseases and provides access to advanced treatment for patients from Assam and other parts of the Northeast.

The development also highlights the growing role of specialised public healthcare institutions in extending rare disease services beyond major metropolitan centres. The availability of enzyme replacement therapy at AMCH could help reduce the need for patients and their families to seek specialised treatment outside the region.

With the successful treatment, AMCH’s Centre of Excellence for Rare Diseases is expected to further strengthen its capacity to manage patients with rare genetic and metabolic conditions and facilitate access to specialised therapies in the Northeast.