Amgen is launching a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate its investigational AMG 592 therapy in treating active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The randomized trial (NCT03451422) will test the therapy’s safety and effectiveness in patients with active lupus. Enrollment has not yet begun but is estimated at 132 participants. Therapy…
Researchers at the University of Houston have been awarded a $600,000 grant by the Lupus Research Alliance to design new approaches for targeting lupus nephritis, a kidney disease caused by lupus. The team will use the three-year grant to study how a protein called ALCAM (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule) participates in the…
Researchers have found that the antibody epratuzumab, which targets CD22 receptors, significantly reduces the activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients who also have Sjögren’s syndrome. A post-hoc analysis of the Phase 3 EMBODY trials, however, shows that the treatment is not effective in those without Sjögren’s syndrome. A post-hoc analysis…
Treatment with H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) can effectively help manage systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) symptoms in patients with persistently active disease, according to recent Phase 4 clinical data. The study, “Repository corticotropin injection in patients with persistently active SLE requiring corticosteroids: post hoc…
A new approach to treating lupus, based on attacking a wide array of disease-implicated molecular pathways, showed promise in a new study in mice. The target is NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), which mediates the function of proteins in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family. Members of the family are known to be implicated in…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have higher incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis markers compared to heathy people, a French study shows. Understanding how cardiovascular disease develops in lupus patients may help establish better, personalized therapeutic strategies, including in patients who have no history of cardiovascular disease. The study, “…
Approximately one-third of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) admit to self-managing their corticosteroid medication without the consent of their rheumatologist or healthcare provider (HCP). The findings, which stem from the multi-country GSK suvey called EnABLE, highlight the need for a more proactive approach in lupus management, and improved awareness…
With a $387,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at the University of Houston are developing a new diagnostic test for lupus patients that uses saliva instead of the standard invasive methods. Led by Chandra Mohan, MD, PhD, and a Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor of biomedical engineering,…
EMD Serono‘s atacicept can effectively reduce disease activity among lupus patients with high disease activity at baseline, according to new data from the Phase 2b ADDRESS II trial. The study, “Attainment of Low Disease Activity By Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Starting with High Disease Activity in a 24-Week,…
Cardiac tamponade, the accumulation of fluid around the heart, affects nearly 6 percent of lupus patients in India, a new retrospective study shows. But researchers found new risk factors that predict this condition, which may help identify patients at risk. Treatment with high-dose immunosuppressives reduced the risk for fluid reaccumulation…