Benefits from sustained-release pyridostigmine bromide in myasthenia gravis: results of a prospective multicenter open-label trial

Abstract

Introduction: For more than 50 years the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine bromide has been the drug of choice in the symptomatic therapy for myasthenia gravis. The sustained-release dosage form of pyridostigmine (SR-Pyr) is only available in a limited number of countries (e.g. in the United States and Germany). Astonishingly, the therapeutic usefulness of SR-Pyr has not yet been evaluated.

Methods: In this non-interventional prospective open-label trial, 72 patients with stable myasthenia gravis were switched from instant-release dosage forms of pyridostigmine bromide to SR-Pyr. The results from the 37 patients younger than 60 years were separately analyzed.

Results: The initial daily dose of SR-Pyr was 288.1 ± 171.0mg. The drug switch was unproblematic in all patients. The number of daily doses was significantly reduced from 4.3 to 3.6 (p=0.011). The switch to SR-Pyr ameliorated the total quantified myasthenia gravis (QMG) score from 0.9 ± 0.5 to 0.6 ± 0.4 (p<0.001) in all patients and in the younger subgroup. This was accompanied by a significant improvement in the quality of life parameters. The health status valued by EuroQoL questionnaire improved from 0.626 ± 0.286 to 0.782 ± 0.186 (p<0.001). After switching to SR-Pyr, 28 adverse reactions disappeared and 24 adverse reactions occurred less frequent or weaker, however, 17 new adverse reactions were documented.

Conclusions: Our results support the usefulness of SR-Pyr in an individualized therapeutic regimen to improve quality of life regardless of the patient's age in myasthenia gravis.