Neurológia pre prax 5/2024

Complement inhibitors eculizumab and ravulizumab in the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG)

The current conventional treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) has various pitfalls – later onset of effect of some drugs, occurrence of adverse effects limiting the treatment itself and the patient's quality of life, lack of effectiveness in a small group of patients. Therefore, new drugs are being developed that specifically affect parts of the immune system that are in a clear causal connection with the MG etiopathogenesis. The advantage of these drugs is their high efficiency and good safety profile. Complement inhibitors, which are used in the etiopathogenesis of MG with positivity of antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), also appear as a promising therapeutic option. In our work, we describe the mechanism of action of eculizumab and ravulizumab, present the results of clinical studies and their drug profile.

Keywords: generalized myasthenia gravis, acetylcholine receptor, complement, eculizumab, ravulizumab