Men and women respond differently to infections, a gender difference in immune responses that could help explain why some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and multiple sclerosis, are more likely to afflict one sex than the other. A review article by Sara Reardon, a science writer, explored this idea. It was published in …
Anthera Pharmaceuticals reported that the company’s Phase 3 clinical trial of blisibimod in patients with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) began recently with researchers screening the study’s first patient. Called CHABLIS 7.5, the study is the second Phase 3 trial to explore the drug in lupus patients with and without lupus…
The Lupus Agencies of New York State (LANYS) announced two advocacy triumphs this legislative session — passage of the Lupus Education and Outreach Bill and a bill revising Step Therapy protocols — in both the state Senate and Assembly. If signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the bills will become law in New…
Dutch biopharmaceutical company Argenx recently reported initial data from its Phase 1 multiple ascending dose clinical trial of ARGX-113 in healthy volunteers. ARGX-113 is designed for the management of acute autoimmune crisis (sudden and severe onset of symptoms between periods of remission) and could potentially be used for many rare medical…
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals recently released an analysis of the first seven patients to complete 24 weeks in its open-label, exploratory AURION clinical trial to access the short-term predictors of response using voclosporin in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and oral corticosteroids in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN). At 24 weeks, 57…
Pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) carry higher risks for adverse maternal and fetus outcomes according to a recent study. The study, “What to Expect When Expecting With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Population-Based Study of Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in SLE and Pre-SLE,” was published in the…
Scientists at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, in collaboration with Greek researchers, may have identified a trigger for autoimmune disorders that could shed light on how many diseases develop, including lupus. The investigators found virus-like components of the human genome that seem to be…
Ann Marshak-Rothstein, professor of Medicine and Rheumatology at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical School, received the 2016 Lupus Insight Prize for promising research to improve the treatment of the lupus-related skin disease called cutaneous lupus. The award was announced at the recent 16th Annual Meeting of the Federation of Clinical…
A bill recently moved forward by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on labor, health human services and education for 2017 includes $6 million for lupus research and education, in addition to $34 billion for medical research overall at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Specifically, the committee bill supports funding for the…
Regen BioPharma has identified small molecules that activate NR2F6, an immune checkpoint recently identified by the company. This is the first step in a series of initiatives to develop small molecules the biotech will use as the basis to create an oral drug with potent anti-inflammatory properties, or a checkpoint inhibitor pill.