UK patient recruited for thyroid eye disease trial

The first UK patient to be recruited for a pioneering thyroid eye disease trial will receive treatment at Frimley Health.

The patient will receive weekly injections of the drug Efgartigimod as part of the ARGX-113-2301 trial.

The treatment is delivered with a prefilled syringe over a 24-week period. There are eight centres within the UK that will run the ARGX-113-2301 trial, with other sites in America, China, and a number of European nations.

Study participants receive training on how to administer the treatment from the research team and then have the option of taking the treatment home.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust consultant ophthalmologist, Anuradha Jayaprakasam, highlighted the benefits of patients being able to administer the treatment at home.

“It avoids the need for them to come into hospital for each treatment,” she said.

Jayaprakasam highlighted that thyroid eye disease can affect the lives of patients in many adverse ways – from interfering with simple daily activities such as watching television and reading, to affecting their ability to work and drive.

“In the most severe cases, it can lead to visual loss, if left untreated,” Jayaprakasam shared.

Thyroid eye disease can change someone’s physical appearance, which can have an effect on an individual’s mental health and self-esteem.

“The drug has the potential to impact on all aspects of the disease, including the appearance changes, and potentially prevent the disease advancing to the level of sight loss,” Jayaprakasam said.

“It is a great motivation for me to be involved in work that could change the course of the disease for many of our patients,” she emphasised.