More Than Two Decades of UTSW Research Pave Way for First-In-Kind Drug
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Building on decades of basic research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-in-kind immune modulating drug known as efgartigimod alfa-fcab. The therapeutic is a new treatment for adults with a form of myasthenia gravis, a rare and chronic autoimmune disease characterized by debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle weakness.
Between 1990 and 2015, former UTSW Professor of Immunology E. Sally Ward, Ph.D., headed the research that laid the groundwork for the drug’s approval. In clinical trials, 68% of patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody positive myasthenia gravis responded to efgartigimod, compared with 30% of those taking a placebo. The global immunology company argenx has licensed the drug’s patent rights and is exploring the possibility of treating other conditions mediated by immunoglobulin G (IgG).
Efgartigimod is Dr. Ward’s second commercial success based on research conducted while at UTSW. Her work also led to technology that can extend the half-life of therapeutic antibodies currently used in the FDA-approved drug ravulizumab and two antibody therapies against COVID-19, as well as another antibody in development to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
