News

Descartes-08, Cartesian Therapeutics’ investigational CAR T-cell therapy, appears generally safe and markedly lessened symptom severity in the first five patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) enrolled in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial. “I am very encouraged by the interim analysis findings,” as the therapy “appears safe and well…

Both zilucoplan and rozanolixizumab, UCB’s experimental therapies for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), safely and effectively reduced symptom severity and their impact on daily activities, while improving patients’ quality of life, top-line data from two Phase 3 trials show. Zilucoplan works by blocking the complement system, a part…

Treatment with the immunotherapy Opdivo (nivolumab) may, in rare cases, trigger myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a Japanese case report. The patient, a 55-year-old woman, developed severe MG, which required admission to the intensive care unit and prolonged mechanical ventilation. The recovery of her breathing function was successfully monitored by assessing…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with antibodies against the thyroid gland have significantly more B-cells — the immune cells that produce antibodies — and fewer immune T-cells, a small single-center study in China shows. These early findings suggest the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies may affect the success of immunomodulating therapies…

A Russian military plane crash near Tetiana Zamorska’s home in Kyiv, Ukraine, was a sign that it was time for her and her family to leave. The treacherous, 34-hour pilgrimage that ultimately brought the group of eight by car to temporary accommodations in neighboring Poland last month was physically and emotionally difficult,…

Lymphoplasma exchange — a procedure that involves exchanging a patient’s plasma and also removing certain immune cells from the bloodstream — can ease symptoms of acute exacerbations of myasthenia gravis (MG), a new study reports. The study, “Lymphoplasma Exchange Improves Myasthenia Gravis Exacerbations: A Retrospective Study…

The long-acting complement inhibitor Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat most adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The approval specifically covers patients who are positive for antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) — about 80% of gMG patients. “With the…

Disease severity at diagnosis and levels of self-reactive antibodies are independent risk factors for myasthenic crisis and disease exacerbations, a German study suggests. Close monitoring, particularly of infections, is important to prevent disease worsening in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), the researchers noted. The study, “Independent risk factors…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Milla Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide) for treating the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG). The new generic, available as a syrup, is expected to soon launch in the U.S. This approval of Milla’s abbreviated new drug…

Rates of long-term disease remission after thymectomy — thymus removal surgery — among people with myasthenia gravis (MG) are lower than rates of remission over the first year after the procedure, according to a real-world study. Most clinical factors, such as disease type, age, or sex were…