Intravenous immunoglobulins (IgIV) have shown a cortisone-sparing effect in several autoimmune diseases. An international team conducted a clinical trial to evaluate this effect in myasthenia gravis. The multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 60 cortisone-dependent patients aged 18 to 85 years.
- Patients in the IgIV group received an initial dose of 2g/kg, followed by an injection every three weeks of 1g/kg for 36 weeks. Corticosteroids were gradually reduced when possible (no clinical worsening).
- The number of patients who were able to reduce their initial dose of steroids by at least 50% (about 60% of patients) was not significantly different between the two groups. The percentage of daily dose reduction in both groups was not significantly different.
- The synergistic effect of IgIV and steroids, shown in some studies, was not observed here, suggesting different mechanisms of action of steroids and IgIV.
On Clinicaltrials.gov website: NCT02473965
