News

Benlysta Reduces Need for Higher Corticosteroid Doses and Slows Organ Damage in Lupus, Studies Show

GlaxoSmithKline’s Benlysta reduced lupus patients’ need for higher doses of corticosteroids, a therapy that is beneficial but causes long-term organ damage, an additional analysis of Phase 3 clinical trial results shows. In addition, a combination of Benlysta and corticosteroids reduced patients’ organ damage more than corticosteroids alone over five years, two extensions…

Study Links Obesity to Worse Outcomes in Women with Lupus

Obese women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a poorer quality of life and suffer more symptoms than women of normal weight, according to new research presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego. The study, “Obesity Independently Associates with Worse Patient Reported Outcomes in Women with Systemic…

Blisibimod Seen to Lower Urine Protein Levels in Patients with Renal Involvement in Phase 3 Trial

Results of a Phase 3 clinical trial of blisibimod, by Anthera Pharmaceuticals, found that treatment significantly reduces proteinuria — excess proteins in the urine — in patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). Like many B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases, lupus is associated with elevated levels of B-cell activating factor (BAFF). Blisibimod is…

Cardiac Tamponade Is Common but Treatable Manifestation of Lupus, Study Finds

Cardiac tamponade, the accumulation of fluid around the heart, affects nearly 6 percent of lupus patients in India, a new retrospective study shows. But researchers found new risk factors that predict this condition, which may help identify patients at risk. Treatment with high-dose immunosuppressives reduced the risk for fluid reaccumulation…