Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

High levels of lactic acid in the bloodstream immediately after surgery to remove the thymus gland were associated with an increased risk of postoperative myasthenic crisis, or POMC, among people with myasthenia gravis (MG), a study reveals. “These findings offer valuable insights for clinical decision-making and monitoring of prognosis…

Nearly all adults who underwent a stem cell transplant for treatment-resistant myasthenia gravis (MG) achieved remission or had minimal symptoms that did not require further treatment, according to a small study. “Studies investigating the efficacy and safety of [stem cell transplant] in the treatment of refractory [or treatment-resistant] MG…

Short-term use of cyclophosphamide — given in six monthly cycles, followed by maintenance immunotherapy — markedly reduced the clinical severity of hard-to-treat myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study by researchers in Australia and the U.K. The therapeutic response seen among patients also allowed a reduction in the…

A bacterial enzyme called CU43 potently mitigates the impact of the self-reactive antibodies that drive myasthenia gravis (MG) and other autoimmune diseases, according to data from a preclinical study. The research team, led by scientists at Emory University in Georgia, in collaboration with researchers at Rockefeller University in New…

Two doses of inebilizumab, Amgen’s antibody-based therapy, led to sustained reductions in the severity of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) among patients for up to six months, meeting the primary goal of an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial. The trial, called MINT (NCT04524273), demonstrated that inebilizumab’s benefits extend…

Descartes-08, an investigational CAR T-cell therapy for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), markedly reduced disease activity among patients who completed the entire protocol of a three-month Phase 2b clinical trial. The treatment was also associated with reduced levels of MG-driving self-reactive antibodies, but not in the broader antibody…

More than half of adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) show a clinically meaningful response to Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) within about two weeks of a first dose, according to a post-hoc analysis of clinical trial data. In contrast, more than 80% of these 139 trial patients experienced a meaningful…

A Phase 1 clinical trial for IGM-2644, a potential first-in-class immune T-cell engager therapy for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), should begin by the end of the year, said its developer IGM Biosciences. “Our early pivot to using T-cell engagers in autoimmune disease has enabled significant progress on these…

Amgen’s antibody-based therapy inebilizumab reduces the severity of generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), according to top-line data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Dubbed MINT (NCT04524273), the study showed inebilizumab’s therapeutic efficacy in gMG patients who test positive for self-reactive antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or muscle-specific…

Both Soliris (eculizumab) and Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) rapidly eased disease severity among adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), according to a real-world study that compared the two therapies. Soliris outperformed Vyvgart in its ability to reduce gMG severity and corticosteroid dose over a year of treatment, however.