Prolonged treatment with Benlysta (belimumab) offers safe and effective control of disease activity, improves life quality and eases fatigue in patients with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to seven-year clinical trial results released by GSK, the drug’s developer. These findings come from a continuation study of patients who completed the Phase…
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals announced the enrollment of the first patients in the company’s Phase 4 clinical trial of H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with persistently active disease. The randomized and double-blind study (NCT02953821) will assess the effectiveness of the gel against…
Bilingual groups providing support and education to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and their family members  — people who live in minority U.S. neighborhoods — considerably help them to manage and cope with the disease, a survey shows. The findings were recently presented at the recent American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) annual…
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) reported positive data from a trial of Benlysta (belimumab) for systemic lupus erythematosus in Northeast Asia that will form the basis of a request for the treatment’s regulatory approval in Japan and China. Study findings (NCT01345253) were presented at the recent 2016 American College of Rheumatology/Association for Rheumatology…
A person’s race and socioeconomic status in the U.S. can lead to delays both in diagnosing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the start of specialty care, according to findings presented at the recent American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Researchers from the California…
Merck recently reported positive results from its Phase 2b study of the experimental drug atacicept as a treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus, with particularly good results in patients with high disease activity. The study, “Efficacy and Safety of Atacicept in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results of a 24-week Randomized,…
Anthera Pharmaceuticals’ CHABLIS-SC1 Phase 3 clinical trial of its investigational therapy blisibimod did not meet its primary endpoint. After 52 weeks of treatment, there was no statistically significant clinical benefit for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients treated with the drug compared to placebo-treated patients. Blisibimod acts by blocking BAFF, a…
Researchers discovered a new mechanism linking specific classes of immune cells and metabolism, a finding that may explain why patients with lupus are incapable of controlling the inflammatory responses that ultimately lead to disease. The study, “Foxp3 and Toll-like receptor signaling balance Treg cell anabolic metabolism for…
A drug that blocks a DNA-cutting enzyme, called irinotecan, should be considered as a treatment option for people with systemic lupus erythematosus researchers argued, after confirming the compound’s benefit in yet another lupus mouse model. The research team believes that clinical trials are now needed to explore the treatment in…
A case-control study found that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) show a high prevalence of brain alterations that are clinically associated with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) — a potential cause of strokes — although a clear link between SLE and SVD was not established. SLE is an inflammatory autoimmune disease…