Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Zai Lab is planning — in the first half of 2022 — to ask Chinese authorities to approve efgartigimod (ARGX-113) as a treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in that country. The therapy, being developed by Argenx and designed to lessen the body’s immune attacks against…

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), an independent nonprofit that evaluates the prices and benefits of medications in the U.S., reported on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of Soliris (eculizumab) and efgartigimod. Its report found reasonable evidence that adding either of these medications to conventional care could…

More adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who were treated with efgartigimod in a Phase 3 trial experienced minimal or no symptoms than did those given a placebo, an analysis of new study data reported. Other analyses from the ADAPT trial highlighted the potential benefits of efgartigimod for people who are…

Robot-assisted thymectomy surgery — a procedure to remove the thymus gland, here done using a robotic system console — eased the disease symptoms of a Colorado man diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG). For Mike Oster, a Fort Collins retiree and avid fisherman, the procedure — performed by a cardiothoracic…

The first participant has been dosed in a Phase 3 clinical trial testing the efficacy and safety of batoclimab (HBM9161) in people with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in China. “The first patient first dosing in the phase III study brings us one step closer to deliver the novel therapeutic…

The flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing-tensilon test (FTT), a new diagnostic tool for myasthenia gravis (MG), can be used to distinguish people with swallowing difficulties due to MG from those having similar symptoms caused by other conditions, according to a new study. The study, “Detecting myasthenia…

Treatment with Descartes-08, an investigational CAR T-cell therapy, markedly eased symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) in three patients participating in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial assessing the therapy’s safety and preliminary efficacy. “This is the first clinical trial of CAR T-cells for an autoimmune disease. Naturally, the first patients…

Differences in gut bacteria composition in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) may be a promising avenue to explore in developing new therapies, a study highlights. Findings suggest that these bacteria might contribute to disease onset and progression, its researchers wrote. The study, “Gut bacterial microbiota in…

An inflammation-associated protein called calprotectin is present at abnormally high levels in the blood of people with myasthenia gravis (MG), a new study reports. Data also suggest that levels of this protein might correlate with MG activity and severity, but further investigation is needed, according to its researchers. “There…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) tends to be more severe in people who are female, obese, or who took a long time to get diagnosed, according to a survey including nearly half of all MG patients living in Sweden. According to its researchers, nearly half of survey respondents reported having moderate…