Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

Myasthenia gravis (MG) caused by the presence of self-reactive antibodies targeting muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) affects mostly women in Japan, leading to generalized muscle weakness, particularly in the face and neck, a study reports. About half of 50 study patients had refractory MG, meaning they failed to respond to standard…

Among people with myasthenia gravis (MG) living in Australia, women and seronegative patients — those whose tests fail to show MG-associated antibodies — reported a significantly higher disease toll in an online survey. This toll included a greater range of disease symptoms, earlier disease onset, longer waits…

A 44-year-old woman positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) developed myasthenia gravis (MG) after receiving treatment with antiretroviral agents. While no clear guidelines exist for treating MG in HIV-infected patients, researchers noted  the woman was successfully treated with prednisone, azathioprine, and plasma exchange. According to them, this approach…

More than half of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients take more than a year to be diagnosed from symptom onset and about two-thirds feel the diagnostic process was long and/or very complicated, according to an online survey in Poland. Also, while 7 out of 10 respondents said their current treatment…

Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa) has been approved in China as an add-on to standard therapy for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The approval, announced by the therapy’s developer Argenx and its partner Zai Lab, was made by the Chinese regulatory agency the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The approval is…

The single breath count test (SBCT), a noninvasive and inexpensive pulmonary function test, may help evaluate respiratory function and identify when symptoms worsen with myasthenia gravis (MG), a review of several studies has found. A cutoff value of 25 or higher in the SBCT was indicative of normal respiratory…

The use of an inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not linked to an increased risk of symptom worsening among people with myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a small study from China. “COVID-19 vaccination has no long-term impact on MG relapse,” researchers wrote. However, a…

The risk of developing another autoimmune disease, especially rheumatoid arthritis, increased in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) after surgery to remove a thymoma, or a tumor of the thymus gland, according to a recent Chinese study. Women and younger patients were at particularly higher risk. The study, “…

Over 40% of adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in the U.S. who began off-label treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) became frequent users, with six or more courses in the first year, according to real-world data covering 1,225 patients. Use of standard treatments, namely corticosteroids and nonsteroidal immunosuppressives,…

Nearly six months of treatment with telitacicept (RC18), an anti-inflammatory developed by RemeGen, safely lessened disease severity in adults with myasthenia gravis (MG) positive for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies. That’s according to new data from an ongoing Phase 2 trial in China. “The latest Phase II clinical study…