J&J
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has submitted its nipocalimab drug for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the initial submission relates to use with patients with generalised myasthenia gravis, the company believes it could go on to treat up to 10 different disease indications.
Myasthenia causes a patient’s immune system to attack proteins required to keep muscles functioning properly. Symptoms including limb weakness and difficulty chewing, swallowing and breathing are all common with the condition.
Belonging to a class of drugs known as FcRn blockers, nipocalimab works to reduce the circulation of antibodies that could interfere with important bodily functions. J&J believes its treatment could lessen the interference between nerves and muscles in patients with Myasthenia, while still preserving immune function.
However, J&J’s hopes for nipocalimab go beyond solely helping those struggling with Myasthenia. The company believes the treatment has the “potential to define the standard of care across autoantibody-driven diseases.” J&J claim that the drug could treat up to 10 different disease indications, with the company already studying how the drug can be used with common conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.