Velaglucerase alfa
Velaglucerase alfa, sold under the brand name Vpriv and manufactured by Shire plc, is a hydrolytic lysosomal glucocerebroside-specific enzyme, which is a recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase indicated as a long-term enzyme replacement therapy for those with Gaucher disease Type 1. It has an identical amino acid sequence to the naturally occurring enzyme. It was approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 26, 2010.The most common side effects include abdominal (belly) pain, headache, dizziness, bone pain, arthralgia (joint pain), back pain, infusion-related reactions, asthenia (weakness) or fatigue (tiredness), and pyrexia (fever) or increased body temperature.Velaglucerase alfa was approved for medical use in the European Union in August 2010.

Medical uses
Velaglucerase alfa is indicated for long-term enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) in people with type-1 Gaucher disease.

Competitive products
Imiglucerase is Genzymes version of recombinant glucocerebrosidase. It is marketed globally under the trade name of Cerezyme.
In addition, Protalix and Pfizer have received approval for marketing taliglucerase alpha in Israel, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. The companies are expected also to file for marketing authorization in Europe and elsewhere around the world.

References
External links
"Velaglucerase alfa". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.