Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine did not worsen symptoms in 200 people with myasthenia gravis (MG), with mostly injection site-related side-effects reported, matching those seen in the general population, a study reported. These findings contrast with those of a recent study suggesting that, in very rare cases, COVID-19 vaccines may cause MG symptoms to worsen. However, because COVID-19 infection is more likely to worsen MG than the vaccination, the authors recommend that MG patients be given the COVID-19 vaccine. The study, “Retrospective study on the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in myast ..read more

People with myasthenia gravis, particularly women, have a high symptom burden that considerably affects their health-related quality of life, but the disease’s human cost is rarely given adequate study, a systematic literature review has found. Symptoms generally eased following treatment and disease remission. Still, there is a need “to better understand the impact of disease from the perspective of the patient,” the review’s scientists wrote, noting that “while the clinical manifestations of myasthenia gravis (MG) are well understood, its humanistic impact is not.” The review, “Th ..read more

Medison Pharma has entered into a pact with the global immunology company Argenx to bring efgartigimod to market in Israel and across several European countries for treating adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The agreement sets the stage for commercialization of efgartigimod in 14 countries: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. The therapy, developed by Argenx, is approved in the U.S. as Vyvgart for adults with anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies — the most commo ..read more

Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) is being made available to eligible adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in the U.K. under an early access to medicines scheme (EAMS), Argenx, the therapy’s developer, announced. An EAMS is designed to enable access to potentially lifesaving medications for patients with unmet medical needs ahead of a treatment’s regulatory approval. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which designated Vyvgart a promising innovative medicine last year, now issued a positive scientific opinion of the therapy under an EAMS, allowing he ..read more

Myasthenia gravis (MG) affects 20 of every 100,000 people, according to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA), which is working to help educate the public about the rare disorder as part of this year’s MG Awareness Month. MG typically affects women under the age of 40 and men older than 60, but it can occur at any age, including in childhood. Its name means “grave, or serious muscle weakness” in Latin. “Due to the rarity of myasthenia gravis, people living with the neuromuscular disorder can struggle to receive the right diagnosis, find information and get treatment,” Sindhu Ramc ..read more

A woman with repeat myasthenia gravis (MG) flares was found to have several rare and benign tumors in her heart, a case study reported. According to its scientists, this case highlights the importance of cardiac evaluations of MG patients, particularly those with recurring episodes of myasthenia gravis exacerbation, or periods of disease worsening. The report, “Myxomatous tumours of the right atrium in a patient with recurring myasthenia gravis exacerbations,” was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports. Recommended Reading May 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler MS Lymphoplasma Exch ..read more

A man developed myasthenia gravis (MG), which quickly progressed to an advanced stage, shortly after surgery to remove a tumor in the thymus gland, according to a report from China. Post-surgical MG is rare and its rapid severity even rarer, its scientists noted, and this man’s  MG diagnosis was more difficult because he also developed a serious lung infection. Being aware of the risks of lung infections like pneumonia, which can be common after a thymectomy, masking a disorder like myasthenia gravis is important, they added, as it delays “the best opportunity” for proper ..read more

A woman was diagnosed with both ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) and a hereditary form of motor neuropathy, a condition affecting the nerves controlling the muscles in the body, according to a case report from China. The report, “Myasthenia gravis coexisting with HINT1-related motor axonal neuropathy without neuromyotonia: a case report,” was published in the journal BMC Neurology. MG occurs when the body makes antibodies that attack its own receptors for acetylcholine, a chemical made by nerve cells that sends signals to other cells, including muscle cells. This causes episodes of weakness in t ..read more

The Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may, in very rare cases, cause myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms to worsen in people with more severe disease, a small Japanese study reported. The study, “Flare of myasthenia gravis induced by COVID-19 vaccines,” was published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences. Previous studies suggested that people with neuromuscular disorders like MG might have an increased risk of severe disease and worse outcomes when faced with COVID-19. However, it is still unclear whether vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may ..read more

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 tolerated, and the extent of clinical improvement seen in our early participants is remarkable,” Volkan Granit, MD, the trial’s principal investigator at the University of Miami, said in a press release. “If future data in a controlled study corroborate ..read more