Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

UCB will add the investigational candidate zilucoplan to its therapeutic pipeline for the treatment of people with myasthenia gravis (MG), after announcing it will acquire the therapy’s developer, Ra Pharmaceuticals. Two Phase 3 trials are currently recruiting participants with generalized myasthenia gravis: the RAISE trial (…

The use of blood cholesterol-lowering medications called statins is linked to a small risk of myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a large World Health Organization database study. The study, “Statin‐induced myasthenia: a disproportionality analysis of the WHO’s VigiBase pharmacovigilance database,” was published in the journal Muscle&Nerve. Statins…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients who undergo thymectomy — surgery to remove the thymus gland — have a reduced risk of pulmonary infection and a shorter stay in intensive care when taken off mechanical ventilation support, called extubation, within six hours after surgery, a study suggests. The study, “Early extubation…

People with myasthenia gravis can develop psychiatric symptoms, including depression and insomnia. However, recommendations regarding safe medication are insufficient. In this case study, clinicians suggest that alpha-blockers are a potential safe therapeutic option for relieving insomnia and anxiety in a female myasthenia gravis patient. The case report, “Management of…

A new extended release formulation of zilucoplan, a potential self-administered therapy for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), given once weekly, achieved complement 5 (C5) inhibition similarly to zilucoplan administered daily, pre-clinical data in non-human primates show. Zilucoplan, developed by Ra Pharmaceuticals, is an artificial peptide that binds to…

Although rare, myasthenia gravis can develop in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a case study. The study, “Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Myasthenia Gravis: A Rare Association,” was published in The Indian Journal of Nephrology. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are two autoimmune…

A small regulatory RNA, called microRNA-653, inhibited the proliferation of thymus cells, called thymocytes, in a mouse model of myasthenia gravis (MG), a study reports. Given that the thymus is often abnormally enlarged in MG patients, these results, although preliminary, suggest that microRNA-653 may be a potential therapeutic…

Among myasthenia gravis patients (MG), males and those with a higher body mass index are at a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea, which is similar to what has been been reported in the general population, a study shows. The study, “Characteristics of obstructive sleep apnea in myasthenia…

Topline results from a Phase 2 trial of  Ra Pharma’s zilucoplan (previously known as RA101495), a potential self-administered therapy for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), showed a statistically significant decrease in markers of disease severity, achieving both its primary objectives. All the trial participants completed the 12-week treatment; 98 percent…

The gut microbiome of people with myasthenia gravis is less diverse than that of healthy people, with a rise in pro-inflammatory bacteria and a reduction in protective molecules, a new study shows. The study, “Altered Gut Microbiota in Myasthenia Gravis,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.