MG United is a program designed to provide information and emotional support to the individual, all while bringing the disparate population of MG patients together. To accomplish this, MG United was comprised of several components, including MG-United.com, an online resource for patients and loved ones, virtual community events such as MG Illuminate, and A Mystery to Me, the first-ever documentary series about myasthenia gravis.

argenx is a global immunology company that develops antibody-based medicines for patients suffering from severe autoimmune disorders.

In order to ensure the success of an upcoming project focused on myasthenia gravis (MG), argenx sought to build trust and brand awareness among the community of people living with the illness. MG is a rare, chronic autoimmune and neuromuscular disease, causing debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle weakness. Because the disease is so little known, it’s often difficult for patients to find the emotional support they need, leaving them feeling isolated and unheard.

Since argenx had been engaged primarily in research and never launched a treatment for the commercial sphere, people living with MG were unaware of the company.

argenx sought to introduce themselves to the MG community, establish trust and support them in any way they could.

Research showed that there was a lack of both practical information and positive support for patients with MG. By providing a source of easy-to-understand medical information and useful life advice, argenx could serve each individual in the MG community as a person—not just a patient.

Agency research also revealed that people with MG struggled with the public’s lack of awareness of their condition. For argenx to build trust with the MG community, they would need to shine a light on MG with bold, ambitious awareness efforts, encouraging the general public to show empathy and understanding for people with the illness.

To fill the gap in patient resources, argenx sponsored MG United: a new source of support for people with MG. MG United is a digital platform with new content every month that delivers useful advice, recipes and real stories from others who live with MG.

argenx wanted to build not just brand awareness within the MG community but also a deep level of trust through tangible expressions of empathy. argenx could provide those living with MG under a community platform that delivered helpful, hopeful support.

Since MG is a rare, little-understood condition, argenx also sought to increase disease awareness while making the MG community feel seen and represented. For an illness as uncommon as myasthenia gravis, these were challenging goals. But by providing encouraging, positive advice that patients could use in their daily lives and engaging in bold, ambitious awareness campaigns, argenx knew it could pull myasthenia gravis out of the shadows and bring the MG community together.

In June 2020, argenx launched MG United with MG Illuminate, a virtual event that coincided with MG Awareness Month. Hundreds joined to hear about patients, experts and programs featured on MG United, including My MG Sole. This community art project, created as a response to COVID-19, encouraged participants to gather online to share their stories via shoe art.

argenx also commissioned A Mystery to Me, the first documentary series about MG. To ensure safe production during the pandemic, a team of award-winning filmmakers created a remote filming process that allowed creative control from a distance.

Via a CRM and social media campaign, argenx invited the MG community to the November 2020 streaming premiere of the film series. A virtual lobby with interactive booths re-created the excitement of an in-person film premiere with features like a red carpet photo booth and a showcase of art and music by the MG community.

By the end of 2020, MG United generated 20,781 opt-ins, 159% of its annual goal. Because there is only an estimated 36,000 to 60,000 people in the US with myasthenia gravis, the number of opt-ins to MG United already represents a significant portion of the MG community.

My MG Sole and MG Illuminate were designed to engage with the often-invisible, underappreciated MG community, and they exceeded all expectations. MG Illuminate surpassed registration goals by 39% and live attendance benchmarks by 60%, while My MG Sole generated a warm response from the MG community as a way to stay in touch and involved during the pandemic.

A Mystery to Me was tremendously well received, with its virtual premiere drawing an audience of over 2,000—likely the largest MG community gathering in history. The films’ premiere generated over 5,000 opt-ins for MG United and brought nearly 87,000 pageviews to the documentary website.

The FDA allows disease awareness communications about a particular disease or health condition as long as no specific drug is mentioned, no representation or suggestion concerning a particular drug is made, and patients are encouraged to see their doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

argenx's audience is the 31,000 to 67,000 people who live with myasthenia gravis (MG), as well as their caregivers and loved ones.

MG is a rare neuromuscular disorder. Patients often feel isolated not only because of the symptoms, but because of a lack of understanding from the people around them.