J&J submits touted autoimmune disease drug for FDA approval

Johnson & Johnson is asking the Food and Drug Administration to approve a new medicine the company believes can eventually be used to treat many diseases.

The initial submission covers use of the drug, called nipocalimab, in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, J&J said Thursday. The condition causes a patient’s immune system to attack proteins that are needed for muscles to keep functioning properly. Symptoms can range from limb weakness to difficulty chewing, swallowing and breathing.