Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a reduced response to COVID-19 vaccination, an effect made worse by specific immunosuppressive treatments, a recent study reports. A reduced response was demonstrated by lower levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. IgG…
People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a unique mix of bacteria on their tongue compared with healthy people, according to a Chinese study. Bacteria diversity correlated with disease activity, but also with recovery after treatment. The findings suggest oral bacteria “may be a therapeutic target for exploring new…
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.
Black people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at a higher risk of developing heart disease — especially in the early years after their diagnosis — compared with non-Black patients, a new U.S. study found. The risk of cardiovascular disease or CVD was particularly elevated in the first 12…
Adding Saphnelo (anifrolumab-fnia) to standard therapy in people with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is linked to reaching a state of low disease activity faster and more frequently, according to an analysis of data from two Phase 3 clinical trials. This low disease activity state was sustained for…
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,…
Almost half of women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who underwent assisted reproductive therapy (ART) became pregnant, and 83.3% of them had a successful delivery, a large retrospective study shows. Only a small number of women experienced lupus flares, but ART was linked to a higher incidence of premature…
Low blood levels of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) put people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at higher risk of experiencing disease exacerbations, or flare-ups, a study has found. “We found that low HCQ blood levels predicted lupus flares,” researchers wrote, noting that low levels can reflect poor treatment adherence but also individual…
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed Aurinia Pharmaceuticals submit a new patented method of using Lupkynis (voclosporin), its approved oral treatment for lupus nephritis. The new application (No. 17/713,140), titled, “Improved Protocol for Treatment of Lupus Nephritis,” covers a method of using Lupkynis in combination with…
The approvals of new medications in the last few years have dramatically shifted the treatment landscape for lupus nephritis, a severe manifestation of lupus characterized by kidney inflammation, with a sharp drop found in the use of rituximab. That’s according to the market research group Spherix Global Insights,…