Blooms in the growth of a specific species of gut bacteria, called Ruminococcus blautia gnavus or RG, may trigger disease flares in people with lupus, a new study suggests. “Our findings provide the strongest evidence to date that silent growths of Ruminococcus blautia gnavus are tied to active serious…
Three new Phase 3 clinical trials testing the experimental therapy ianalumab in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis are now recruiting patients. All three trials are being sponsored by Novartis, the company developing ianalumab. Lupus Therapeutics, the clinical research affiliate of the Lupus Research Alliance,…
CABA-201, an experimental cell therapy for lupus and other autoimmune disorders, has been granted fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA awards this designation to therapies with the potential to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of serious conditions. Fast track status…
Lupkynis (voclosporin) is now approved in Switzerland to treat adults with active lupus nephritis, a complication of lupus characterized by kidney damage and inflammation. The approval specifically covers the treatment, given along immunosuppressants, for adults with active class 3, 4, and 5 lupus nephritis — three subtypes of the…
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is calling on the community to help increase visibility and promote education about the autoimmune disease throughout the month of May — thereby marking Lupus Awareness Month. “All too often people with lupus hear that they don’t ‘look’ sick. This is why…
The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is funding four research projects aiming to explore molecular targets that could lead new ways of treating lupus. The grants were given as part of the LRA’s Lupus Mechanisms and Targets Award (LMTA) program, which offers up to $600,000 over three years…
Treatment with upadacitinib led to a significant reduction in disease activity for people with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Phase 2 clinical trial, according to top-line results announced by its developer, AbbVie. Based on these positive results, AbbVie now is planning to advance upadacitinib to Phase 3 clinical…
An enzyme called fumarate hydratase is involved in the control of the inflammatory activity of macrophages, a type of immune cell with a central role in driving inflammatory disorders like lupus, researchers report. “No-one has made a link from Fumarate Hydratase to inflammatory macrophages before and we feel that…
New measures are needed to assess disease severity in lupus in clinical trials, a study highlights. One important goal in developing such measures is to include patient-reported outcomes — which, according to the study authors, are now not used in most clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of new treatments.
A urine test that can be performed at home showed good accuracy in detecting lupus nephritis, a form of lupus marked by kidney damage, in a recent study. This test, which works with a smartphone app, “could potentially accelerate early detection of renal involvement or disease flares in lupus patients,…