DALLAS, Texas—Since 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 12 gene therapies—including 5 in 2022 alone—compared to none less than a decade ago. That’s an indication of how quickly the gene therapy pipeline has evolved, a top FDA official pointed out. Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics…
Myasthenia gravis (MG) and achalasia could coexist at the same time, according to a study recently published in the Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery. “In addition, it has raised neurologists’ knowledge and awareness of achalasia in patients of MG complaining of recurrent vomiting and dysphagia resistant to standard therapy, which includes thymectomy and rapid…
Differentiating between idiopathic and immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced (ICI) myasthenia gravis (MG) may be more challenging than initially thought, according to a study recently published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. “The contrasting properties of AChR autoantibodies in these cases challenge the accuracy of serological testing in establishing definite ICI-MG diagnoses and underscore the importance…
The long-acting terminal complement C5 inhibitor, ravulizumab, appears to be effective in treating anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR Ab+) generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in adults, as presented in the 2023 MDA conference. The phase 3 CHAMPION MG study is a double-blind, randomized study that compares changes in Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) and Quantitative Myasthenia…
Tacrolimus alone is better tolerated than glucocorticoids alone in patients with mild to moderate myasthenia gravis (MG) while being as efficient, according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. Tacrolimus could therefore be a safe and effective initial immunotherapy for patients with mild to moderate disease who cannot…
A machine learning-based model can help predict short-term outcomes in myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a new study published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders. “Our predictive tool may help promote the clinical management of MG patients and build a follow-up surveillance system for professionals,” the authors wrote. Read more about the prognosis…
Decrements in oculomotor ranges after repeated saccadic and pursuit movements may be a sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study published in the Journal of Neurology. Quantitative analysis of saccadic and smooth pursuit fatigability using video-oculography (VOG) was able to distinguish between patients with MG and healthy…
A new study published in Advances in Therapy revealed a significant association between myasthenia gravis–activities of daily living (MG-ADL) improvements and higher EQ-5D-5L utility values in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Moreover, the MG-ADL scores alone are not sufficient to measure the effectiveness of efgartigimod treatment. Generalized myasthenia gravis is a neurological condition causing muscle weakness…
Researchers from China developed a new tool to predict the risk of postoperative myasthenic crisis in patients with myasthenia gravis. The tool can identify patients who are at high risk and ensure they receive the necessary treatment before surgery and the attention they need to avoid complications after. To develop their tool, the team of…
Vaccination significantly reduces the rate of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 in patients with myasthenia gravis, according to a new study published in the journal Muscle and Nerve. This study adds to the existing evidence of the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in these patients and further supports their use. There is little…
