Two German researchers investigated the benefits and potential complications – particularly cardiovascular ones – of a new class of drugs used to treat refractory forms of autoimmune myasthenia gravis:
- 1,094 patients with myasthenia gravis treated with C5 inhibitors were compared with an untreated control group of the same size (1,094),
- within the treated group, a comparative cohort was established (330 in each arm, after matching) to distinguish the effects of eculizumab from those of ravulizumab, two of these anti-C5 agents,
- after one year of follow-up, the efficacy of these new drugs has been confirmed (particularly in terms of life expectancy),
- the risk of renal vascular complications and the risk of thromboembolism were higher in the treatment group,
- this risk was less pronounced for ravulizumab.
These findings should encourage clinicians to monitor regularly for the risk of such complications.
