News

MG, heart inflammation develops in man after anticancer therapy

The case of a 72-year-old man who developed myasthenia gravis (MG) and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, following chemoimmunotherapy for gastric cancer that included sintilimab showcases the need to better understand how this treatment can induce the immune disorder, said researchers in China. Sintilimab is a type of…

Vyvgart Hytrulo as effective as Vyvgart at reducing IgG levels

Vyvgart Hytrulo (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase), an approved therapy for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) that’s injected under the skin, or subcutaneously, appears to be as effective as the intravenous treatment Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa) at reducing IgG antibodies, including those that cause the disease. That’s according to data…

Inebilizumab reduces gMG severity in Phase 3 trial: Top-line data

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…

Potential antibody therapy ARGX-119 may aid MuSK-MG patients

ARGX-119, an antibody designed to increase the activity of the muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) protein, protected against the development of neuromuscular disease in mice in a model of MuSK-associated myasthenia gravis (MG), and eased or reversed evident symptoms in animals with disease onset, scientists report. With further work, such an…

Anti-MuSK antibody levels may be MG severity, treatment biomarker

Blood levels of specific antibodies that target the muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) may be biomarkers of disease severity and treatment response in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) who are positive for anti-MuSK antibodies. A study finds that high levels of MuSK-IgG4 — an anti-MuSK antibody subclass – were associated…

Nipocalimab up for approval for gMG in the European Union

Johnson & Johnson has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking approval of nipocalimab to treat people with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The request includes gMG patients who are positive for MG-causing autoantibodies targeting acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), muscle-specific tyrosine (MuSK), and low-density lipoprotein…

Soliris, Vyvgart effective in adults with generalized MG: Study

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.