News

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…

Medical professionals have debated whether removing the thymus of a person with myasthenia gravis is an effective way of treating their disease. A Phase 3 clinical trial seems to have settled the debate. It concludes that the surgery, known as a thymectomy, plus medication is better than medication alone in…

ALS and myasthenia gravis have features in common, including an underlying immunological mechanism and alterations in communication junctions between muscle and nerve cells, Chinese researchers report. The Peking Union Medical College team published its study in Frontiers in Neurology. Its title was  “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Myasthenia Gravis Overlap Syndrome: A…

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion to extend the approved indication of Soliris (eculizumab) to include the treatment of refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) to patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive,…

University of Southern California researchers have gained insight into how antibodies connected with a disease known as myasthenia gravis destroy a receptor crucial to movement. Their findings may give scientists clues about how to prevent the disease. The study, “Structural insights into the molecular mechanisms of…