GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced positive results from its BLISS-SC Phase 3 study testing the efficacy of Benlysta (belimumab) in patients with active and autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are receiving standard therapy. The results, detailed in “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, 52-Week Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Belimumab Administered Subcutaneously Plus Standard…
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has revealed that H.P. Acthar Gel is effective in the treatment of patients with persistently active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are under corticosteroid therapy, according to recent study results. Though the study’s primary endpoint was not met, the drug led to attenuation of disease activity in participants and met some…
Actress, singer, fashion designer and celebrity Selena Gomez’s revelation that she has been undergoing chemotherapy for lupus is raising the profile of the not well-understood disorder. A Grand Prairie, Texas, native, Gomez, 23, went public about her struggles with lupus recently, explaining to Billboard’s Joe Lynch that her recent…
The Lupus Foundation of America presented two awards recognizing distinguished career achievements in lupus research to Dr Mariana J. Kaplan, of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Dr Timothy B. Niewold, of the Mayo Clinic, at a Nov. 8 foundation ceremony…
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery evaluated the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in lupus patients, concluding that the survey could also be used to assess subjective patient experiences. Researchers also reported a disconnect between the patient point of view and objective symptoms, emphasizing the need to…
According to a recent study, complement activation is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid antibodies (APL) syndrome. The study is part of PROMISSE (Predicators of pRegnacy Outcome: BioMarkers in antiphospholipid antibody Syndrome and System lupus Erythematosus) — a research effort…
Researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have identified and defined a set of autoantibody-producing cells responsible for the autoimmunity profiles observed in lupus erythematosus patients. The research paper, entitled “Diversity, cellular origin and autoreactivity of antibody-secreting cell population expansions in acute systemic lupus erythematosus” was published in Nature…
Rheumatologists Dr. Thomas Dörner from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, and Dr. Jonathan Kay of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester have collaborated on a research effort to analyze clinical data on biosimilar drugs that have received…
In a recent study entitled “Healthy lifestyle habits for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A systemic review,” researchers identified how the lifestyle habits of systemic lupus erythematosus patients impact disease pathogenesis. The study was published in the Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism journal. Researchers performed a systematic literature…
Hutchison China MediTech Limited (Chi-Med) recently announced that its R&D subsidiary Hutchison MediPharma (HMP) has completed its Phase I study of HMPL-523, a potential global first-in-class oral inhibitor targeting the spleen tyrosine kinase Syk, a key protein involved in B-cell signaling. Modulation of the B-cell signaling pathway has proven to significantly advance…