News

Rituximab found as effective as cyclophosphamide in AAV children

Treatment with rituximab in children with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is at least non-inferior to the use of cyclophosphamide at inducing disease remission or low disease activity among pediatric patients, according to data from a large international observational study. The researchers noted that rituximab treatment was associated with greater…

Phase 3 trial of Tavneos enrolling children, ages 6-17, with AAV

A new Phase 3 clinical trial is recruiting children and adolescents with active granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), the most common types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), to test Tavneos (avacopan) in combination with rituximab or cyclophosphamide. That’s according to a financial update released by…

Fasenra granted approval in EU for hard-to-treat EGPA patients

Fasenra (benralizumab) has been granted approval in the European Union as an add-on treatment for adults with relapsing or treatment-resistant eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or EGPA, a rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). The clearance of Fasenra, “with its convenient, single-monthly injection is a positive step forward…

Combo maintentance therapy found more effective in severe EGPA

Combination maintenance therapy with Nucala (mepolizumab) and azathioprine may be more effective than either treatment alone at maintaining disease remission and reducing the need for glucocorticoids in people with severe eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). These are the findings of a single-center study in Japan that support the use…

Low ceruloplasmin protein linked to worse survival in anti-MPO AAV

Low blood levels of the copper-carrying protein ceruloplasmin at diagnosis are associated with worse survival in adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who test positive for self-reactive antibodies against the myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme, a new study from France has shown. “This is the first study associating low [blood] ceruloplasmin level…

ADX-097, potential AAV therapy, fares well in healthy volunteers

ADX-097, an experimental tissue-targeted therapy that Q32 Bio is developing for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and other diseases marked by overactivity of the immune complement system, was well tolerated in a Phase 1 clinical trial involving healthy volunteers. The study’s data also indicated that ADX-097 showed a favorable pharmacological…