Characterization of Early Adopters of Efgartigimod for gMG
Georgiana Kuhlmann1, Emma McFadden1
1Spherix Global Insights
Objective:

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.

Background:

Quarterly survey fielded by an independent market intelligence agency specializing in tracking the neurology market, including benchmarking new launch metrics.

Design/Methods:
Fielded in April 2022, three months following efgartigamod launch, 66 US neurologists/neuromuscular specialists responded to a 20-minute online survey.
Results:

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%).

Conclusions:

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.

10.1212/WNL.0000000000202485