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 retrospective study shows that 83.9 percent of patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and pulmonary arterial hypertension survive at least five years after diagnosis. Also, those with anti-U1-RNP antibodies tend to have better survival rates, the study shows. The research, “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus:…
The Phase 1b trial testing RA101495 as a treatment for patients with renal impairment diseases, including lupus nephritis, has dosed its first participants, according to Ra Pharmaceuticals. The multi-center trial will determine the pharmacokinetics (how the body metabolizes, distributes, and excretes a drug) of subcutaneous RA101495 in these patients. RA101495…
A team of researchers has identified new variations within the coding region of genes — which gives rise to proteins — that may be associated with a person’s susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study, “Exome-wide association study identifies four novel loci for systemic lupus erythematosus…
The PRKCB gene is significantly more expressed in lupus patients than in healthy controls, a new Chinese study shows. But the gene appears to have a protective role, as patients with higher PRKCB expression have lower disease activity scores. The research, “Increased expression of PRKCB mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear…
Corbus Pharmaceuticals recently started a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating anabasum as an investigational therapy for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anabasum is a synthetic endocannabinoid mimetic drug, meaning it mimics the action of endocannabinoids, which are endogenous molecules that bind to cannabinoid receptors in the nervous system. The drug…
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, “…
Pulmonary hypertension affects 8 percent of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a new meta-analysis shows. But pulmonary hypertension (PH) does not affect all lupus patients equally. A subgroup analysis showed that men, adults, and non-Asian patients are the most affected by the disease. The study, “Prevalence of pulmonary…
The Lupus Multi-Cultural Engagement Partnership (Lupus MCEP) was recently launched at an inaugural meeting in New York City to address the need to increase the number of participants in upcoming lupus clinical trials and to guarantee that ethnic and racial representation is considered. The Lupus MCEP meeting was…
Older patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a low risk of future renal involvement, researchers report. The risk factors they identified with lupus nephritis onset included young age, low complement levels, and non-Caucasian ethnicity. The study, “Predictors of incident proteinuria among patients with SLE,” was published…