Single institution experience with efgartigimod in patients with myasthenia gravis: Patient selection, dosing schedules, treatment response, and adverse events

Muscle & Nerve · 2023 · 34 citations

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Anesthesia

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: Efgartigimod is a neonatal Fc receptor blocker and was the first approved medication in its class for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). As a novel therapy, little is known about the use of efgartigimod in clinical practice. This study aims to describe how efgartigimod is being incorporated into the current therapeutic landscape of MG. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of 17 patients with gMG treated with efgartigimod at the University of Pennsylvania between January 2022 and June 2023. RESULTS: Efgartigimod was selected mainly for patients who were treatment refractory, had side effects to other treatments, and/or required quick improvement in their symptoms. All patients had been previously treated with at least one medication for MG and had an average baseline Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score of 9.1. The patients treated with efgartigimod improved their MG-ADL score by an average of 5.5 points at 3 months (p < .001) and 7.1 points by 6 months (p < .001). Forty percent of patients achieved minimal symptom expression. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 43.7% of patients on efgartigimod, the most common being mild infection (urinary tract infection and thrush). There were no serious AEs. DISCUSSION: This study found efgartigimod to be efficacious, well tolerated, and safe in patients with MG. Efgartigimod should be considered as an add-on therapy, a bridge therapy, or as a monotherapy if patients have difficulty tolerating other treatments.

Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Efgartigimod in Patients With Generalized Myasthenia Gravis: Interim Results of the ADAPT+ Study

Neurology · 2022 · 10 citations

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Pathology

<h3>Objective</h3> To evaluate the safety and efficacy of efgartigimod in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) enrolled in the ADAPT+ long-term extension study. <h3>Background</h3> Treatment with efgartigimod, a human IgG1 antibody Fc-fragment that blocks neonatal Fc receptor, resulted in clinically meaningful improvement (CMI) in MG-specific outcome measures in the ADAPT phase 3 clinical trial. All patients who completed ADAPT were eligible to enroll in its ongoing open-label, 3-year extension study, ADAPT+. <h3>Design/Methods</h3> Efgartigimod (10 mg/kg IV) was administered in cycles of once-weekly infusions for 4 weeks, with subsequent cycles initiated based on clinical evaluation. Efficacy was assessed during each cycle utilizing Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) and Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) scales. <h3>Results</h3> Ninety-one percent of ADAPT patients (151/167) entered ADAPT+. As of February 2021, 106 AChR-Ab+ and 33 AChR-Ab– patients had received at least 1 dose of open-label efgartigimod (including 66 ADAPT placebo [PBO] patients). The mean (SD) study duration was 363 (114) days, resulting in 138 patient-years of observation. Similar incidence rates per patient year (IR/PY) of serious adverse events were seen in ADAPT (efgartigimod: 0.11; placebo: 0.29) compared to ADAPT+ (0.25). Five deaths (acute myocardial infarction, COVID-19 pneumonia/septic shock, bacterial pneumonia/MG crisis, malignant lung neoplasm, and unknown [multiple cardiovascular risk factors identified on autopsy]) occurred; none were considered related to efgartigimod by the investigator. AEs were predominantly mild or moderate. CMI was observed in AChR-Ab+ patients during each cycle (up to 10 cycles) at magnitudes comparable to improvements observed at week 3 of cycle 1 (mean[SE] improvements: MG-ADL, –5.1[0.34]; QMG, –4.7[0.41]). Clinical improvements mirrored maximal reductions in total IgG and AChR-Abs across all cycles. <h3>Conclusions</h3> This analysis suggests the efficacy of long-term treatment with efgartigimod was consistent across multiple cycles. No new safety signals were identified, despite being conducted before vaccine availability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Phase 2, Double-Blind, Randomized, Dose-Ranging Trial Of <i>Reldesemtiv</i> In Patients With ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration · 2020 · 56 citations

• Medicine
• Internal medicine

OBJECTIVE: on patients with ALS should be assessed in a pivotal Phase 3 trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03160898).