PB
argenx announces orphan drug designation for ARGX-113 for the treatment of myasthenia gravis in Europe
March 26, 2018
Breda, the Netherlands / Ghent, Belgium - argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted orphan status, based on the positive opinion of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for the use of ARGX-113 for the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG), adding to the orphan status already granted in the United States.
MG is an autoimmune disorder associated with muscle weakness that is triggered by IgG auto-antibodies. These antibodies attack critical signaling proteins at the junction between nerve and muscle cells, thereby impairing their communications signals. There are limited effective and sustainable treatments for MG. ARGX-113 has the potential to eliminate patient symptoms while minimizing common side effects seen with current treatments by reducing the pathogenic IgG levels.