News

Soliris (eculizumab) continued improving myasthenia gravis patients’ muscle strength and functioning in a 52-week extension of a 26-week Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers reported. Alexion Pharmaceuticals said the extension study covered the same category of participant: patients with refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who have anti-acetylcholine receptor (AchR) antibodies. The original Phase 3 trial…

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals announced that it will soon begin a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess Firdapse (amifampridine phosphate) in people with myasthenia gravis who are positive for the MuSK antibody. In meetings, the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) arrived at an agreement regarding the size, scope and objectives of…

Prograf (tacrolimus) moderately improves myasthenia gravis (MG) in patients with inadequate response to glucocorticoids (GCs), a new study from China shows. The study, “Tacrolimus in the treatment of myasthenia gravis in patients with an inadequate response to glucocorticoid therapy: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in China,” appeared in the…

ARGX-113, an investigational therapy for myasthenia gravis (MG), is progressing in a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT02965573) that is still enrolling patients, according to the biotech company argenx in its quarterly update. MG is an autoimmune disorder, mostly characterized by abnormal responses of the patients’ own T-cells (a type…

Accordant’s myasthenia gravis services program has been accredited by an organization that assesses whether providers meet standards for caring for people with rare diseases. The accreditation came from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which also certified that Accordant met standards for caring for patients with several other rare diseases. The…

The European Commission (EC) has approved Soliris (eculizumab) to include the treatment of refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in adults who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive. The approval of Soliris, marketed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, follows a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the…

Muscle regeneration in myasthenia gravis likely is delayed as a result of the impaired functioning of muscle stem cells, called satellite cells (SCs), a study has found. The study, “Muscle satellite cells are functionally impaired in myasthenia gravis: consequences on muscle regeneration,” was published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica.

Researchers have found a correlation between all types of thyroid disorders and myasthenia gravis, particularly in women and older men, a study reports. The research, “The Concomitant Association of Thyroid Disorders and Myasthenia Gravis,” was published in the journal Translational Neuroscience. Surprisingly, the first study suggesting an association…

Heavier myasthenia gravis patients are at higher risk of having respiratory failure or other complications after their thymus is removed, a study reports. Doctors should monitor such patients closely to prevent severe postoperative complications, researchers contended. The thymus is a gland in the chest that plays a role in the immune…

Removing the thymus is an effective way to treat people with ocular myasthenia gravis, according to an analysis of previously published data that could resolve the controversy around the treatment. The Chinese researchers’ conclusion applied to thymectomies — or surgical removal — of thymuses that do not contain tumors. Myasthenia gravis is eliminated…