In December, the FDA approved belimumab, the first drug approved to treat lupus nephritis, an historic action that was rapidly followed in January by the approval of a second treatment for lupus nephritis, voclosporin.
Study Finds Renal Arteriosclerosis Is Common in Lupus Nephritis Patients
Renal arteriosclerosis is common in lupus patients with nephritis and occurs two decades earlier than it does in people without lupus nephritis (LN), report investigators in a study that examined the prevalence of renal arteriosclerosis in LN patients compared with healthy controls.1Â The finding suggests that renal arteriosclerosis could be used as a biomarker for…
Treatment of Lupus Nephritis Continues to See Progress
Three doctors reported on advances in research & treatments for lupus nephritis.
Lupus Nephritis: New Decade, New Approaches
Experts say progress is being made on a variety of fronts in lupus nephritis. New data, for instance, shows that repeat biopsy beyond that used for diagnosis can help guide treatment and greatly reduce the flare rate. New treatments – including belimumab and the calcineurin inhibitors tacrolimus and voclosporin — have yielded improved response rates in LN…
ACR Comments Help Inform ICER Assessment of Treatments for Lupus Nephritis & Other Rheumatic Conditions
The ACR submitted comments to the Institute for Clinical & Economic Review outlining key considerations that should inform independent assessment of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of medical therapies for lupus nephritis.
Monthly Belimumab Infusions Preserve Kidney Function in Some Lupus Patients
(Reuters Health)—Intravenous belimumab combined with standard lupus therapy can help preserve kidney function in patients with active lupus nephritis and cut the odds of death or a renal-related event by half, a phase 3 multinational study has concluded.1 After two years of therapy, 43% of 224 volunteers getting the drug monthly showed a renal response…
Lupus Nephritis: Understanding the Paradigm for Treatment
ACR BEYOND LIVE—Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis remains one of the leading causes of mortality, and patients with both SLE and end-stage renal disease demonstrate standardized mortality ratios higher than 60 times that of patients with SLE who have normal kidney function.1 Although the ACR Guidelines for Screening, Treatment, and Management…
Renal Transplant Outcomes in Patients with Lupus Nephritis
A recent study from Brazil suggests lupus nephritis patients who receive renal transplant have a high five-year survival rate. Researchers found the presence of venous thrombosis and antiphospholipid syndrome, but not viral infection, were important predictors of renal graft loss in these patients…
Mortality Trends in Lupus Nephritis
According to results of a recent study of all-cause and cause-specific mortality trends of end-stage renal disease due to lupus nephritis from 1995 to 2014, the all-cause premature mortality rate improved among white, African American and Hispanic patients, with reduced risk of death from CVD and infection. Jorge et al. observed a 32% reduction in mortality. This improved survival may be explained by a combination of improvements in the management of ESRD and of underlying SLE…
Promote Pregnancy Wellness: Data Can Help Guide Pregnancy Management in Lupus
AMSTERDAM—Clinicians who are counseling women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have the benefit of an array of new insights into factors linked with increased risk of pregnancy loss, how SLE therapies affect pregnancy and data on outcomes of children born to mothers with SLE, an expert said in a session at EULAR: the Annual European…