New myasthenia gravis trial results set to reshape neuromuscular medicine at AANEM 2026

By Elena MacLeod · September 24, 2026, 9:54 AM · 4 mins read

Breakthrough phase 3 data and new strategies for myasthenia gravis will take the spotlight at the 2026 AANEM Annual Meeting, pushing clinicians to rethink how they treat patients.

Phase 3 trial results for myasthenia gravis are about to take the spotlight at the 2026 American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) Annual Meeting. These findings are set to shake up current treatment routines and force doctors to rethink their priorities.

This year’s conference theme, "Beyond EMG: The Future of Neuromuscular Medicine," sets the stage. The MGFA Scientific Session will bring a wave of new data. Doctors will see results from the ADAPT SERON study of efgartigimod in acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR)-negative generalized MG—a group that often gets overlooked. The trial showed better MG Activities of Daily Living scores, even in patients with triple-seronegative disease. This puts FcRn inhibition on the table for people who have had few options until now.

The PREVAIL phase 3 trial for gefurulimab enrolled 260 adults across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, with improvements seen as early as week 1 and sustained through week 26.

The new data does not stop there. The NIMBLE trial will share phase 3 results on hospitalization rates for cemdisiran versus placebo. A 48-week study from China will show how patients responded to the dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor telitacicept in generalized MG. The Descartes-08 trial will cover longer-term and re-treatment results for autologous B cell-depleting monoclonal antibody (BCMA)-directed mRNA CAR T-cell therapy. The PREVAIL study will also present results for the experimental complement C5 inhibitor gefurulimab in AChR antibody-positive patients.

An official AstraZeneca press release reports that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of Klygefa (gefurulimab) in the EU, based on the PREVAIL phase 3 trial. At week 26, gefurulimab showed a statistically significant improvement in MG-ADL scores compared to placebo, with a mean difference of -1.6 points (95% CI: -2.4; -0.8, p<0.0001). This step comes after earlier PREVAIL presentations at the MGFA Scientific Session during AANEM 2025 and a later publication in JAMA Neurology. The process has moved from first data release to regulatory progress and now to clinical use.

Amanda L. Hernandez, MD, PhD, Chief of Neuromuscular Medicine at the University of Connecticut, puts it plainly: “The MG landscape is only going to widen, and having an approach to how we navigate that with our patients is going to be incredibly crucial.” Dr Hernandez says doctors now have to match therapy to serologic phenotype, clinical symptoms, and what matters most to each patient. This job is getting harder as new treatments like BAFF/APRIL and CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapies join the mix, alongside drugs such as inebilizumab.

The AANEM 2026 program highlights ongoing research into seronegative subtypes of myasthenia gravis, with dedicated presentations on FcRn-targeted therapies such as nifocalimab and the VIVACITY-MG3 study, reflecting a growing focus on patients with limited treatment options.

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The meeting runs from September 29 to October 2 in Orlando, Florida. This year, the focus is on practical steps for picking therapies, checking response, and sequencing treatments. The program signals a move from theory to action. Biomarker research, new ways to monitor breathing, and better outcome measures will push doctors to not just learn the new data, but use it for each patient.

Neuromuscular medicine is moving toward more precise and tailored care. The 2026 AANEM Annual Meeting is a testing ground for both new treatments and the doctors who will use them. With so much phase 3 data on display, there is no room for standing still. Doctors who do not keep up will fall behind, especially now that matching the right therapy to the right patient is not just a goal—it is a must. The message from Orlando is clear: the era of one-size-fits-all in myasthenia gravis is over. Clinical leadership now means making tough, timely choices for every patient.

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Elena MacLeod

Elena MacLeod is Clinical Biotechnology Editor at GenoMethods, covering CAR-T, engineered cell therapies, gene therapy, clinical trials, cancer immunology and regulatory developments. Her evidence-first reporting focuses on trial design, patient populations, safety, efficacy, response durability and the limitations that determine how early clinical results should be interpreted.