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…
The Lupus Research Alliance has launched the first clinical trials conducted as part of its Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN). The alliance established LuCIN to speed the development of new lupus therapies, recognizing the limited options patients currently have. It comprises a series of strategic partnerships with the…
A patient whose lupus is in remission or who is experiencing low disease activity faces less risk of experiencing additional damage or dying from their condition, an international study reports. Researchers said doctors should keep the findings in mind when treating patients. Trying to help patients achieve remission or low…
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…
Researchers found two genetic variants on the interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) gene that predispose patients from India with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to develop kidney and hematological disease symptoms. The population-based study, “Predisposition of IL-1β (-511 C/T) polymorphism to renal and hematologic disorders in Indian SLE patients,” was…
A Phase 2 study assessing Gazyva (obinutuzumab) plus mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or mycophenolic acid (MPA) as a treatment for lupus nephritis patients is currently enrolling participants. The Phase 2 NOBILITY trial (NCT02550652) will be conducted by Roche and Genentech to determine if the combination is better at treating kidney…
Inhibition of a natural enzyme that works as a sensor for virus and bacteria invasions may reduce inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a recent study. The findings, reported in the study “Small molecule inhibition of cGAS reduces interferon expression in primary macrophages…
Nearly 1 in 10 lupus patients also develop pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition where the blood pressure is too high in the arteries that go from the heart to the lungs, according to researchers. But despite it being life-threatening, the condition may remain undiagnosed if there are…
The director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Virginia Pascual, received the Lupus Insight Prize for a project that shows great promise in increasing our understanding of the events that lead to lupus flares. The Lupus Research Alliance…
Karen H. Costenbader, MD, is the new chairwoman of the medical-scientific advisory council of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). Chairman of the LFA’s national board of directors, Conrad Gehrmann, announced the appointment earlier this week. Costenbader will lead the multi-disciplinary group of lupus experts to address unmet needs…