Asfotase alfa

Asfotase alfa, sold under the brand name Strensiq, is a medication used in the treatment of people with perinatal/infantile- and juvenile-onset hypophosphatasia.

The most common side effects include injection site reactions, hypersensitivity reactions (such as difficulty breathing, nausea, dizziness and fever), lipodystrophy (a loss of fat tissue resulting in an indentation in the skin or a thickening of fat tissue resulting in a lump under the skin) at the injection site, and ectopic calcifications of the eyes and kidney.

The enzyme tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) plays a key role in creating and maintaining healthy bones, and managing calcium and phosphate in the body. People with hypophosphatasia cannot make enough working ALP, which leads to weak bones. Asfotase alfa is a version of the human ALP enzyme and serves as a replacement, thereby increasing levels of working ALP.