Smokers who have certain variations of the estrogen-related ESR1 gene are at higher risk of developing lupus, a study suggests. The research, “Estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) polymorphism and its interaction with smoking and drinking contribute to susceptibility of systemic lupus erythematosus,” was published in the journal…
Older lupus patients may be at risk of developing a form of the disease that affects arms and legs, according to a study. The most common manifestation of the peripheral nervous system form of system lupus erythematosus, known as PNS-SLE, is polyneuropathy, or damage to the nerves that control the arms, hands,…
Children born to mothers with lupus may end up with developmental disabilities, according to a review of more than two dozen studies. Learning and reading difficulties and dyslexia are among the problems the children may experience as they develop, researchers said. The review, “The development of offspring from mothers…
A combination of voclosporin and standard therapy eliminated the inflamed-kidney condition lupus nephritis in twice as many patients as those who received standard care alone, according to a Phase 2b clinical trial. The voclosporin combo also lengthened the time it took for lupus nephritis to re-emerge, its maker, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals,…
Exagen Diagnostics has developed a blood test to keep tabs on the conditions of people with lupus and the kidney disease lupus nephritis. The company has made the test, which it calls the AVISE SLE Monitor, available to doctors throughout the United States. The New York State Department of Health has conditionally approved the test,…
Youngsters with an allergy-susceptibility condition known as atopy have worse cases of lupus when diagnosed and poorer outcomes than patients without atopy, a study reports. The research, “Atopy in children with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with severe disease,” was published in the journal PLoS One. Juvenile systemic…
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) receiving immunosuppressive treatment may be at risk of developing high-grade cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer, compared to patients receiving hydroxychloroquine therapy alone. Although more studies are necessary to confirm these findings, researchers emphasized that SLE women should consider being vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV)…
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has started a Phase 3 clinical trial of voclosporin’s ability to treat lupus nephritis, a lupus-generated condition that causes kidneys to become inflamed and eventually fail. The double-blind, placebo-controlled AURORA trial (NCT03021499) will include about 320 patients. It will determine if a combination of voclosporin and a…
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals’ product candidate voclosporin continues to show promise in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), according to the company. In addition to meeting complete and partial remission endpoints at 48 weeks of the trial, treatment with voclosporin also met secondary endpoints, such as reduction in speed of remission, disease…
Clinical trials with lupus patients should have a longer duration and a careful selection of patients based on certain parameters such as disease severity and treatment, recommends the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), according to a news release. These recommendations are a result of the most recent study of…