Myasthenia gravis Market Outlook

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune syndrome that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles caused due to the failure of neuromuscular transmission. Communication between nerve cells and muscles becomes hampered, thus preventing crucial muscles from contracting. This impairment in results from the binding of autoantibodies to proteins involved in signalling at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Clinically, MG has 2 major subtypes, primary ocular and generalized.

DelveInsIght estimates suggest that there are 129,267 Myasthenia gravis prevalent cases in 2016 in 7MM. The highest MG prevalent population was found to be in the USA, followed by EU5 and Japan. Among the European countries, Spain had the highest Myasthenia gravis prevalent population with 15,200 cases, followed by Germany with around 12,400 cases in 2016. France had the lowest MG prevalent pool in 2016, whereas Japan had the lowest prevalent MG population in 2016 with 14,900 cases. Studies also revealed that in approximately 75-85% of patients, autoantibodies, directed against the postsynaptic nicotinic AchR can be detected in the serum and confirm the diagnosis; up to 50% of the remaining MG patients harbour antibodies against MuSK.

Moreover, MG is more prevalent in females as compared to males, with around 38,775 female and 25,850 male cases in 2016 in the United States.

Market analysis carried out for the period of 2016-2027, by DelveInsight, demonstrates that the Myasthenia Gravis Market size was found out to be USD 2998.1million in 2016 in 7MM. At present, the MG therapeutic market size is mainly accounted by symptomatic treatment including acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (Mestinon), corticosteroids, immunosuppressants (azathioprine, cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab, tacrolimus), rapid-acting short-term immunomodulation (Intravenous Immunoglobulin, Plasma Exchange), and long-term immunomodulation (Thymectomy).

Recently, Soliris (Eculizumab), lead product of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, got approved for MG treatment in 2017. This monoclonal antibody (MAB) is used for preventing acetylcholine receptor antibodies from affecting muscle cells and is helpful for patients resistant to the other available therapies in Myasthenia Gravis therapeutic market. With regard to this, many companies are investing in the MG’s MAB market and are looking for the treatment of patients other than AchR antibodies, such as MUSK antibodies as there is no treatment for MUSK antibody positive patients in the MG market till now. Myasthenia Gravis market dynamics are anticipated to change in the coming years owing to the expected launch of MG emerging therapies during the forecasted period (2018-2027). Rozanolixizumab (UCB Pharma), CFZ533 (Novartis), Efgartigimod (Argenx), RA101495 (Ra Pharmaceuticals), IGIV-C (Grifols Therapeutics), Firdapse (Catalyst Pharmaceuticals) and Hizentra (CSL Behring) are currently under clinical development for the MG treatment.

Thus, rise in research and development activities with several pipeline companies shifting their focus to novel mechanism of action therapies, the dynamics of Myasthenia Gravis market is anticipated to change during the forecasted period (2019-2027).