News

Adding Rituxan (rituximab) to maintenance therapy with immunosuppressants and corticosteroids may help patients control their systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a new Japanese study suggests. The study, “Efficacy and safety of anti-CD20 antibody rituximab for patients with refractory systemic lupus erythematosus,” conducted in a small group of Japanese patients,…

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), a chronic disorder that has overlapping features of two or more systemic rheumatic disorders, is a relatively stable disease that is milder than systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis, new research from Norway shows. However, most patients failed to achieve long-term remission. The study, “Disease evolution…

The higher the body mass index, the higher the level of fatigue a lupus patient is likely to experience, Illinois researchers report. They also linked obesity to fatigue levels. Another finding was that reducing fatigue through exercise did not lead to lower levels of adipokines, chemical messengers generated by fat tissue…

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, “…