Efgartigimod alfa
Trade names Vyvgart
Routes of administrationIntravenous
Drug class Neonatal Fc receptor blocker
Efgartigimod alfa, is a medication used to treat myasthenia gravis.
It is an antibody fragment that binds to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), preventing FcRn from recycling immunoglobulin G (IgG) back into the blood.
It causes a reduction in overall levels of IgG, including the abnormal acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies that are present in myasthenia gravis.
It is also available coformulated with hyaluronidase.
The most common side effects include respiratory tract infections, headache, urinary tract infections, and paresthesias.
Efgartigimod alfa is indicated for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis in adults who are anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody positive.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial more participants with myasthenia gravis with antibodies responded to treatment during the first cycle of efgartigimod alfa (68%) compared to those who received placebo (30%) on a measure that assesses the impact of myasthenia gravis on daily function.
More participants receiving efgartigimod alfa also demonstrated response on a measure of muscle weakness compared to placebo.
Efgartigimod alfa is also studied for the treatment of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). The clinical trial known as ADHERE, conducted by Argenx, involved the enrollment of 322 individuals diagnosed with CIDP.[11] In the initial phase of the study, all subjects received weekly injections of Vyvgart. Following a period of 12 weeks, it was observed that
67% of the patients with with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) exhibited positive responses to Efgartigimod alfa as evidenced by improvements in their muscle disability scores.
It is also under study for the treatment of primary membranous nephropathy, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (ANCA Vasculitis), Graves’ ophthalmopathy, antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, anti-synthetase syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, immune thrombocytopenia, primary Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and pemphigus.
Efgartigimod alfa as a drug is an antibody fragment that binds to the neonatal Fc receptor, blocking the IgG recycling process.
The amount of circulating IgG decreases and therefore prevents the acetylcholine receptors from being degraded by the autoantibodies that are responsible for the myasthenia gravis.
The drug is mainly metabolized via proteolytic enzymes, with a termination half-life of 80 to 120 hours.
Side effects of efgartigimod alfa include respiratory tract infections, headache, urinary tract infection, numbness and tingling and muscle pain.
Efgartigimod alfa is intended for the treatment of anti‑acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive generalized myasthenia gravis.
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