A single course of a new treatment called Descartes-08 was found to be safe and resulted in long-term improvement in symptoms among patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
In this study, researchers tested Descartes-08, a treatment made from a patient’s own immune cells, in people with generalized MG. Fifteen patients received six once-weekly infusions of Descartes-08, and 11 others received a placebo (a treatment with no medicine). Neither the patients nor the doctors knew who got which treatment.
After three months, 66.7% of the patients who received Descartes-08 showed improvements in signs and symptoms of MG, compared to only 27.3% of those who got the placebo.
After 12 months, 83% of treated patients showed clear and lasting improvement in their symptoms. One-third of patients who received Descartes-08 had few or no symptoms after six months, and an MG Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score of less than or equal to one.
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The study showed that Descartes-08 was generally safe. The most common side effects were mild reactions during the infusion, such as headache, nausea, fever, chills and muscle pain.
Descartes-08 belongs to a newer group of treatments called CAR T-cell therapies, which reprogram the immune system.
Earlier CAR T-cell treatments showed promise in MG but often came with serious side effects and required chemotherapy and hospital stays. Descartes-08 was designed to work differently and be safer for patients.
Patients who take Descartes-08 do not need chemotherapy before treatment, and need less monitoring after treatment compared to earlier CAR T-cell treatments. This means that Decartes-08 can be given in an outpatient setting, so patients can go home the same day.
“An improved safety profile enabled the use of Descartes-08 in community clinics that are not typically considered appropriate for cell therapy administration,” the researchers said. This may make the treatment easier for more people to access.
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