News

In patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) with an associated thymus tumor, being male, having poorer lung function, more severe disease, receiving into-the-vein anesthetics, and spending a longer time in surgery are all associated with a higher risk of prolonged ventilation following thymus removal surgery. The study with that finding,…

Zai Lab is planning — in the first half of 2022 — to ask Chinese authorities to approve efgartigimod (ARGX-113) as a treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in that country. The therapy, being developed by Argenx and designed to lessen the body’s immune attacks against…

In people with ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG), disease onset during adulthood, the presence of nerve abnormalities, anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) autoantibodies, and a thymus tumor, all increase the risk of disease generalization to the rest of the body, a multicenter study in China has found. Notably, in contrast to…

Diabetes, which causes blood sugar levels to rise abnormally, may trigger a stronger immune response and worsen myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms, a study in a rat disease model suggests. If its findings hold true in people, they could provide evidence of the importance of blood sugar control in easing…

A 31-year-old woman was diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions — myasthenia gravis (MG) and a liver disease called primary biliary cirrhosis — after giving birth, a recent case study reported. “Given the fluctuation of the immune status during the postpartum period, combined autoimmune diseases need to be taken into…

An extremely rare case of myasthenia gravis (MG) associated with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and aplastic anemia (AA), two bone marrow failure conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks developing red blood cells, was reported recently. The report, “Myasthenia gravis and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria after thymectomy: A…

Older age, moderate‐to‐severe anemia, and extremely high white blood cell counts were significant predictors of in‐hospital mortality in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients having a myasthenic crisis — marked by severe difficulties in breathing that require mechanical ventilation — a study from Taiwan reported. The study, “Hemogram parameters can…

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), an independent nonprofit that evaluates the prices and benefits of medications in the U.S., reported on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of Soliris (eculizumab) and efgartigimod. Its report found reasonable evidence that adding either of these medications to conventional care could…

Global Genes has partnered with the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition (RDDC) to advance health equity for rare disease patients and caregivers in underrepresented communities of color. “For rare disease patients, there are many challenges — and for people of color with a rare disease, these challenges are compounded…

Soliris (eculizumab) appears to be safe and effective for patients with hard-to-treat generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who have acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies, a study has found. Its benefits were extended to a particular group of patients from the Phase 3 REGAIN clinical trial and its extension study who were treated…