GSK is starting a Phase 3 trial of Benlysta (belimumab) in combination with Rituxan (rituximab) for treating patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The ability of the combination to provide sustained disease control or remission will be tested. Benlysta is the only approved biological medication…
ImmunoQure AG and Servier have entered into a strategic partnership to develop a new therapy that could benefit patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome. The planned therapy would consist of antibodies derived from humans that block the naturally occurring protein interferon alpha, a protein important in…
While lupus nephritis usually develops within five years of a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis, a case study of three patients shows that the condition may rarely appear 15 years or more after diagnosis. In the report, researchers call it “very delayed lupus nephritis,” pointing out it is to be distinguished…
Benlysta (belimumab) used in combination with standard of care significantly improved disease activity and reduced prednisone use in patients in Northeast Asia with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a Phase 3 clinical trial found. While the therapy is already approved in the U.S. and Europe for patients with active, autoantibody-positive SLE receiving standard…
A new, simple blood test was found to be a good predictor of lupus nephritis (LN) relapses. LN is a kidney disease that is one of the complications of lupus. The test was also used to evaluate disease activity levels in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study, “…
Adherence among lupus patients to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the backbone of disease therapy, is suboptimal overall but particularly poor among those on Medicaid who live in areas with fewer hospitals, larger African-American populations, and with a shortage of health professionals. These results were reported at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Annual…
Cellenkos announced a new collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop cord blood regulatory T-cell (CB TREG) therapeutics for autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders such as lupus. The company will fund up to $10 million for the CB TREG program over five years. Led by Simrit Parmar…
The rate of cardiovascular events in lupus patients increased during the second half of a 15-year period, a long-term study found. Cardiovascular events included angina (chest pain), fatal or nonfatal acute myocardial infarction (MI), transient ischemic attack (“mini-stroke”), fatal and nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular (CV) death. The study, titled “…
The European Commission has approved the new, self-administered and injectable formulation of  Benlysta (belimumab), by GSK, as an add-on therapy for certain adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The approval applies to lupus patients with active autoantibody-positive disease and high disease activity in spite of standard therapy.
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with or without lupus nephritis (LN) showed no clinical benefit when treated with Amgen‘s investigative anti-interferon-gamma antibody, AMG 811, in a Phase 1b (NCT00818948) clinical trial. Some indicators of the disease dropped in response to the treatment, but less so in…