A single presurgery dose of efgartigimod can be a helpful temporary treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG) patients waiting for a thymectomy, according to a recent study published in the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.
Doctors already know that efgartigimod helps people with MG. It works by blocking proteins called Fc receptors (FcRns). Normally, FcRns help antibodies (proteins made by the immune system) stay in the body longer. By blocking FcRns, efgartigimod reduces the total number of antibodies that mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues in this condition.
The researchers found that by stabilizing their condition, efgartigimod shortened the time patients had to wait for a thymectomy. It also helped patients recover muscle strength better after the surgery and reduced the amount of time they needed to stay in the ICU afterward.
According to the researchers, short-term efgartigimod can be a good alternative to traditional presurgery treatments like high-dose prednisolone, plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin.
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The study included 44 MG patients at Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital in China: 11 received efgartigimod before surgery, and 33 did not.
Instead of using the usual four-week treatment plan for efgartigimod, the researchers gave just one dose before surgery.
Patients who received efgartigimod before surgery showed bigger improvements in their MG symptoms. They also had shorter times between deciding on surgery and actually having it, shorter ICU stays, better MG severity scores after surgery, bigger improvements on muscle tests and larger drops in antibody levels.
This single-dose treatment plan “can not only enhance treatment affordability and accessibility but also likely contributed to the shorter decision-to-surgery interval observed in the efgartigimod group,” the researchers said. “Notably, our findings indicate that a single preoperative dose may also facilitate better postoperative recovery.”
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