The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Lupus Expert Calls for Better Research, Outcomes of Clinical Trials

Lupus Expert Calls for Better Research, Outcomes of Clinical Trials

July 12, 2016 • By Thomas R. Collins

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
kentoh/shutterstock.com

kentoh/shutterstock.com

CHICAGO—A lupus expert recently issued a call for action to improve outcomes of lupus clinical trials, a field that has had so many failed potential therapies that he said it seems to be “cursed.”

You Might Also Like
  • Mitigate Risk and Increase Success of Lupus Clinical Trials
  • Lupus Treatment Advances Lag Behind Other Rheumatic Diseases
  • Subcutaneous Belimumab Improves Systemic Lupus Srythematosus Outcomes
Explore This Issue
July 2016
Also By This Author
  • Bipolar Disorder, Nailfold Capillaroscopy Score, Urban Location Among Risk Factors for Developing Lupus

Richard Furie, MD, chief of rheumatology at Northwell Health in New York, said at the ACR’s 2016 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium that the field has had “just three wins, and I can’t tell you how many losses.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The three achievements he counted are the BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 (Belimumab in Subjects with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) trials, which led to the approval of belimumab, and the maintenance phase of ALMS (Aspreva Lupus Management Study), which found that mycophenolate mofetil was superior to azathioprine for lupus nephritis (LN) maintenance therapy.1,2

He did acknowledge that another highlight has been the revival of hydrochloroquine, which had previously been administered primarily to lupus patients with arthritis or rash, but has been found to have benefits in a lot of different domains, including lowering lipid levels, preventing thrombosis, preventing flares and improving survival. It is now considered essential for any lupus patient.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

But the response rates in SLE and LN clinical trials with the available drugs have generally been quite low—ranging from 16–43% in SLE and from the single digits to 30% in LN.

“There are major unmet needs,” Dr. Furie said. “I think the biggest need is actually in lupus nephritis, but severe extra-renal lupus also needs to be targeted in order to reduce damage from the disease, as well as from the background therapies.”

He reviewed the failures and promises in a variety of approaches in the treatment of SLE and LN:

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

DNA/RNA/Toll-Like Receptors

Dr. Furie

Dr. Furie

Among the failed therapies in lupus include an attempt 15 years ago to “chew up the apoptotic garbage” seen in the disease. The idea was that if one can reduce the amount of circulating DNA released from apoptotic cells, one could prevent the inflammatory cascade that leads to disease. But that didn’t get past Phase 1. An effort to resurrect this idea, but targeting RNA, is now underway.

Another failed effort was a small study on toll-like receptors that also didn’t get past Phase 1, although Dr. Furie said there’s more to be done with this approach.

Interferon

One of the more promising strategies, he said, is to disrupt the effects of type I interferons, which are elevated in lupus patients. In fact, about 75% of lupus patients have interferon gene signatures, which could become a useful biomarker, Dr. Furie said.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Meeting Reports, SLE (Lupus) Tagged With: 2016 ACR/ARHP State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, American College of Rheumatology, clinical trial, Lupus, outcome, patient care, Research, Rheumatic Disease, SLE, therapy, TreatmentIssue: July 2016

You Might Also Like:
  • Mitigate Risk and Increase Success of Lupus Clinical Trials
  • Lupus Treatment Advances Lag Behind Other Rheumatic Diseases
  • Subcutaneous Belimumab Improves Systemic Lupus Srythematosus Outcomes
  • Oxycodone Capsules Put on Hold; Clinical Trials for Lupus Nephritis & SLE Therapies

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.