To characterize early adopters of efgartigimod, the first neonatal Fc receptor blocker approved for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) patients.
Quarterly survey fielded by an independent market intelligence agency specializing in tracking the neurology market, including benchmarking new launch metrics.
29% of surveyed neurologists reported prescribing efgartigimod within the first three months of commercial availability (efgartigimod early adopters).
Early adopters were more likely than non-adopters to report being neuromuscular specialists (42%, 9%), have a larger volume of gMG patients under their personal care (56, 28), and be self-reported prescribers of eculizumab (84%, 45%) and rituximab (90%, 60%) for gMG. Contact in the past month by an efgartigimod sales representative was higher for early adopters (53%, 23%), who were also more likely to agree that Vyvgart addresses a substantial unmet need in gMG (90%, 57%).
Perceived barriers to use also differed between respondent groups: lack of familiarity (21%, 60%), concerns about safety (5%, 28%), and lack of appropriate patients (0%, 32%) were less likely to be mentioned by early adopters than non-adopters.
Regional distribution and primary practice setting did not differ between adopters and non-adopters, nor did reimbursement hassles as a perceived barrier to use (58%, 49%).
Analysis of efgartigamod early adopters suggests that the prescriber base is driven by specialists with a high volume of gMG patients, with comfort prescribing biologic therapies for gMG.