Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), which can be readily measured from a simple blood test, may help tell which people with myasthenia gravis (MG) will go on to develop respiratory failure, a study has found. High levels of systemic (whole-body) inflammatory markers or a diagnosis of generalized MG were…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review to Argenx’s under-the-skin (subcutaneous) formulation of efgartigimod — the active ingredient in Vyvgart, the company’s approved treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). If the subcutaneous formulation wins regulatory approval following that review, it would broaden the…

About one in 10 patients with thymic carcinoma — a rare type of malignant tumor in the thymus gland — also has myasthenia gravis (MG), but this does not appear to reduce their lifespan, according to a study of data from an international registry. The study, “Does myasthenia…

The cancer immunotherapy Imfinzi (durvalumab) may, in rare cases, trigger myasthenic crises — a serious complication of myasthenia gravis (MG) that can lead to respiratory failure. A recent case report described how an 82-year-old woman on MG remission experienced a myasthenic crisis following treatment with Imfinzi for advanced-stage lung cancer.

Plasma exchange combined with intravenous, or into-the-vein, immunoglobulin (IVIG) appears to be safe, and better than plasma therapy alone at easing the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) and boosting the immunity of patients, a study suggests. These findings offer what researchers called a “reference for clinical decision-making” — particularly…

Two molecules in blood cells may be potential biomarkers for diagnosing myasthenia gravis (MG), a study suggests. Researchers found levels to be lower in mononuclear cells — a mixture of different cell types that circulate in the bloodstream and have a round nucleus — of patients with MG than…

A man developed myasthenia gravis (MG), which quickly progressed to an advanced stage, shortly after surgery to remove a tumor in the thymus gland, according to a report from China. Post-surgical MG is rare and its rapid severity even rarer, its scientists noted, and this man’s  MG diagnosis was more…

A woman was diagnosed with both ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) and a hereditary form of motor neuropathy, a condition affecting the nerves controlling the muscles in the body, according to a case report from China. The report, “Myasthenia gravis coexisting with HINT1-related motor axonal neuropathy without neuromyotonia: a…

Long-term treatment with Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) is safe and well tolerated, and leads to a sustained improvement in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) disease scores. These findings come from an interim analysis of ADAPT+ (NCT03770403), an ongoing Phase 3, open-label, three-year extension of ADAPT (NCT03669588) that is…

More or larger clusters of developing B-cells, called germinal centers, in the thymus may predict better outcomes after thymus removal surgery in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a recent study that utilized modern tools of digital pathology to support its findings. “Digital pathology can thus help in…