Summary
Cyclosporine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Myasthenia Gravis (MG) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Myasthenia Gravis (MG). ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Cyclosporine to Myasthenia Gravis (MG): 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 2000 participants. Registered activity dates to 2017. The literature layer holds 10 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review, 2 randomised controlled trial publications and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1987 to 2026. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Myasthenia Gravis ranks 50 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Spontaneous complete stable remission (CSR) in 10-20% of patients over 10 years; generalised MG rarely resolves without treatment; ocular MG may remain limited in 50-60%.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 49.0 (trials 1.0, literature 28.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 10 (5 clinical trial publications, 2 randomised controlled trial publications, 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | CTLA4 |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04101578 | Clinical Prognosis and Progression of Myasthenia Gravis Patients 2017 | status unknown | Not applicable | 2,000 |
Published literature
- Systematic review Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in thymoma- related aplastic anemia: a case report and literature reviewSun S, Zhang Y, Ma J et al. · Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2026 · PMID 41622196
- Clinical trial publication Pharmacological Management of Myasthenia Gravis: A Century of Expert Opinions in Cecil Textbook of MedicineManu P, Rogozea LM, Roman-Filip C · American journal of therapeutics · 2021 · PMID 34757964
- Cochrane review Quantitative evaluation of drug efficacy in the treatment of myasthenia gravisChen R, Zhang N, Gao L et al. · Expert opinion on investigational drugs · 2021 · PMID 34821184
- Meta-analysis Immunosuppressive and monoclonal antibody treatment for myasthenia gravis: A network meta-analysisWang L, Huan X, Xi JY et al. · CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2019 · PMID 30809966
- Clinical trial publication Two-year treatment with cyclosporine microemulsion for responder myasthenia gravis patientsNagane Y, Suzuki S, Suzuki N et al. · European neurology · 2010 · PMID 20720424
- Clinical trial publication Cyclosporine A: good response for patients affected by autoimmune disorders and HCV infection?Manna R, Verrecchia E, Fonnesu C et al. · European review for medical and pharmacological sciences · 2009 · PMID 19530514
- Clinical trial publication Response to therapy in myasthenia gravis with anti-MuSK antibodiesEvoli A, Bianchi MR, Riso R et al. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2008 · PMID 18567856
- Clinical trial publication P-glycoprotein function in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of myasthenia gravis patients treated with tacrolimusTanaka S, Hirano T, Saito T et al. · Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin · 2007 · PMID 17268068
- Randomized controlled trial A clinical therapeutic trial of cyclosporine in myasthenia gravisTindall RS, Phillips JT, Rollins JA et al. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 1993 · PMID 8357194
- Randomized controlled trial Preliminary results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of cyclosporine in myasthenia gravisTindall RS, Rollins JA, Phillips JT et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 1987 · PMID 3547126
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CTLA4. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cyclosporine approved for Myasthenia Gravis (MG)?
Cyclosporine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Myasthenia Gravis (MG) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Myasthenia Gravis (MG). Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Cyclosporine in clinical trials for Myasthenia Gravis (MG)?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Cyclosporine to Myasthenia Gravis (MG): 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 2000 participants. Registered activity dates to 2017.
What does the evidence show for Cyclosporine in Myasthenia Gravis (MG)?
Trials of Cyclosporine in Myasthenia Gravis (MG) are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CTLA4. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-06. Page built 2026-10-07.