The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to the investigative therapy blisibimod for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), according to Anthera Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s developer. IgAN, or Berger’s disease, is the main cause of primary glomerulonephritis — inflammation of the kidneys — associated with…
Re-engineering a class of immune cells called dendritic cells (DCs) toward self-tolerance for many of the antigens underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat lupus patients and other autoimmune diseases, according to a recent study. Findings from the study, “Autologous tolerogenic dendritic…
In a novel approach to better understand factors affecting clinical trials, researchers conducted clinical trial simulations focusing on African-American and lower-income populations. Almost half of all clinical trials are unable to recruit their target sample size. Additionally, dropout of patients during the trial can be as high as 30 percent.
Twenty-four people with lupus and other autoimmune disorders who signed up for a Phase 1 clinical trial of KY1005 are receiving the antibody therapy, according to its maker, Kymab. KY1005 addresses the underlying immune system imbalance in people with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A protein called OX40 triggers a prolonged immune…
Some of the self-reactive antibodies produced in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were found to neutralize HIV, the virus responsible for causing AIDS, thus protecting patients from the disease. The findings help explain why SLE patients show lower levels of HIV-1 infection and shed light on ways to promote the production…
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GSK’s new Benlysta subcutaneous formulation. With the approval, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients will now be able self-inject Benlysta once weekly. In 2011, the FDA approved a formulation of Benlysta that was injectable by healthcare professionals to patients as a weight-based dose…
A study of more than 27,000 people of different ethnic origins revealed 24 new genetic markers that predispose for systemic lupus erythematosus, the most common type of lupus. People with more of the predisposing genetic markers are more likely to develop the autoimmune disease, the study found. In collaboration…
Smokers who have certain variations of the estrogen-related ESR1 gene are at higher risk of developing lupus, a study suggests. The research, “Estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) polymorphism and its interaction with smoking and drinking contribute to susceptibility of systemic lupus erythematosus,” was published in the journal…
Umbilical cord-derived stem cells failed to improve lupus patients’ impaired kidney function, according to a small clinical trial in China whose results contrasted with previous studies. The research, “A randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell for lupus nephritis,“ was published in Annals of…
ImmunArray and Kindstar Global, two companies focused on the development and marketing of diagnostic tools for acute and chronic immune and neurodegenerative diseases, have joined forces to launch the cost-effective SLE-Key Rule-Out Test for lupus in China. The blood test, which helps clinicians accurately rule out lupus during diagnosis, is expected to enter…