The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting a pilot project that aims to develop a simple and fast diagnostic lab test for myasthenia gravis (MG). With the one-year, $100,000 NIH award, researchers at the University of California, Davis, will work to develop an assay able to identify disease-causing antibodies…
Treatment with the diabetes medication metformin suppresses the growth of immune T- and B-cell subsets that are implicated in the development of myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study in a rat model of the neuromuscular disease. Metformin appeared to exert these positive effects by reversing the abnormal levels…
Two investigational UCB treatments for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) — zilucoplan and rozanolixizumab — continue to show benefits in gMG patients, according to recently reported findings from Phase 3 trials. Both delivered as subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injections, zilucoplan works by blocking an immune system protein called C5 that…
The European Commission has approved Ultomiris (ravulizumab) as an add-on to standard therapy for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Eligible patients will be positive for antibodies targeting the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) — the most common type of MG-causing antibody. Ultomiris is now the first long-acting C5 complement…
Pyridostigmine is perceived as being moderately effective at easing myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms, but often is accompanied by side effects, a study of Dutch patients revealed. Researchers noted the findings do not indicate a need for changes to current guidelines, which recommend the use of pyridostigmine as a first-line…
Neurologists find both Vyvgart (efgartigimod) and Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) effective for treating generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), but believe Ultomiris has a more convenient dosing schedule while Vyvgart may have a better safety profile. That’s according to a recent analysis by the market intelligence firm Spherix Global Insights.
Risk factors for converting ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) to generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) after a thymectomy, or thymus removal surgery, were identified in a recent study. Specifically, abnormalities in a repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) test and having a specific thymus tumor subtype called B2/B3 were predictive of gMG…
Levels of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) protein in immune B-cells are higher than normal in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), and may be a useful biomarker of inflammation in MG, a study suggested. The observed elevations were more pronounced among patients with generalized MG…
Researchers have found that a set of cells called medullary thymic epithelial cells, or mTECs, may play a role in the development of myasthenia gravis (MG) in thymoma patients — people with thymus tumors. Changes in the function of these cells were observed in thymoma tissues collected from people…
Careful administration and monitoring of anesthetic medications may prevent complications in people with subclinical myasthenia gravis (MG) undergoing surgery, a case report suggests. The findings, concerning a woman receiving surgery to remove a thymoma — a tumor of the thymus — suggest that anesthetic management of subclinical MG may…
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