Myasthenia gravis drug gets FDA nod

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo) to treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or anti–muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody, the drug’s manufacturer, UCB, has announced.

Olivier Le Moal/Getty Images

gMG is a rare autoimmune disease of the nerve muscle junction. Anti-AChR and anti-MuSK antibody-positive gMG are the two most common subtypes. Rozanolixizumab is the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with both subtypes.

Rozanolixizumab is a subcutaneous-infused humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody that binds to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), reducing the concentration of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies.

U.S. approval is based on results of the phase 3 MycarinG study involving 200 patients with AChR or MuSK autoantibody-positive gMG. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two rozanolixizumab groups (7 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) or placebo for 6 weeks.

As reported last month in Lancet Neurology, rozanolixizumab led to statistically significant improvements in gMG-specific outcomes, including everyday activities such as breathing, talking, swallowing, and being able to rise from a chair.

“There is a significant need for new, innovative treatment options to reduce the day-to-day burden of gMG,” lead investigator Vera Bril, MD, professor of medicine (neurology), University of Toronto, said in a news release.

Rozanolixizumab is “a new treatment option, targeting one of the mechanisms of disease to provide symptom improvement in patient- and physician-reported outcomes at day 43,” Dr. Bril added.

The most common adverse reactions (reported in at least 10% of patients treated with rozanolixizumab) were headache, infections, diarrhea, pyrexia, hypersensitivity reactions, and nausea.

The company expects rozanolixizumab to be available in the United States during the third quarter of 2023.

The FDA granted the application for rozanolixizumab in gMG priority review.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo) to treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or anti–muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody, the drug’s manufacturer, UCB, has announced.

Olivier Le Moal/Getty Images

gMG is a rare autoimmune disease of the nerve muscle junction. Anti-AChR and anti-MuSK antibody-positive gMG are the two most common subtypes. Rozanolixizumab is the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with both subtypes.

Rozanolixizumab is a subcutaneous-infused humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody that binds to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), reducing the concentration of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies.

U.S. approval is based on results of the phase 3 MycarinG study involving 200 patients with AChR or MuSK autoantibody-positive gMG. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two rozanolixizumab groups (7 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) or placebo for 6 weeks.

As reported last month in Lancet Neurology, rozanolixizumab led to statistically significant improvements in gMG-specific outcomes, including everyday activities such as breathing, talking, swallowing, and being able to rise from a chair.

“There is a significant need for new, innovative treatment options to reduce the day-to-day burden of gMG,” lead investigator Vera Bril, MD, professor of medicine (neurology), University of Toronto, said in a news release.

Rozanolixizumab is “a new treatment option, targeting one of the mechanisms of disease to provide symptom improvement in patient- and physician-reported outcomes at day 43,” Dr. Bril added.

The most common adverse reactions (reported in at least 10% of patients treated with rozanolixizumab) were headache, infections, diarrhea, pyrexia, hypersensitivity reactions, and nausea.

The company expects rozanolixizumab to be available in the United States during the third quarter of 2023.

The FDA granted the application for rozanolixizumab in gMG priority review.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo) to treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or anti–muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody, the drug’s manufacturer, UCB, has announced.

Olivier Le Moal/Getty Images

gMG is a rare autoimmune disease of the nerve muscle junction. Anti-AChR and anti-MuSK antibody-positive gMG are the two most common subtypes. Rozanolixizumab is the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with both subtypes.

Rozanolixizumab is a subcutaneous-infused humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody that binds to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), reducing the concentration of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies.

U.S. approval is based on results of the phase 3 MycarinG study involving 200 patients with AChR or MuSK autoantibody-positive gMG. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two rozanolixizumab groups (7 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) or placebo for 6 weeks.

As reported last month in Lancet Neurology, rozanolixizumab led to statistically significant improvements in gMG-specific outcomes, including everyday activities such as breathing, talking, swallowing, and being able to rise from a chair.

“There is a significant need for new, innovative treatment options to reduce the day-to-day burden of gMG,” lead investigator Vera Bril, MD, professor of medicine (neurology), University of Toronto, said in a news release.

Rozanolixizumab is “a new treatment option, targeting one of the mechanisms of disease to provide symptom improvement in patient- and physician-reported outcomes at day 43,” Dr. Bril added.

The most common adverse reactions (reported in at least 10% of patients treated with rozanolixizumab) were headache, infections, diarrhea, pyrexia, hypersensitivity reactions, and nausea.

The company expects rozanolixizumab to be available in the United States during the third quarter of 2023.

The FDA granted the application for rozanolixizumab in gMG priority review.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.