Alice Melão,  —

Maintenance therapy with Rituxan (rituximab) is superior to standard care with azathioprine for preventing disease relapses in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who had achieved remission, results of a Phase 3 trial suggest. These data were disclosed in an oral presentation, titled “A Randomized,…

Avacopan (CCX168) can effectively improve remission rates, kidney function, and overall quality of life of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), compared with standard therapy with steroids, according to top-line results from a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial.   ChemoCentryx and its collaborator, Vifor…

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis can result in inflammation of the appendix — commonly known as appendicitis — without any additional systemic symptoms, researchers report for the first time. The finding highlights the diverse effects of this autoimmune disorder and the importance of careful patient evaluation for adequate diagnosis…

Measuring the levels of activin A protein in the urine can help clinicians identify patients who have renal problems caused by antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, Japanese researchers found. Additional studies are still warranted to shed light on the underlying role of activin A — a potential…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with childhood onset often affects multiple organs, showing symptoms at diagnosis in the ear, nose, and throat, as well as pulmonary and renal complications, a single-center study shows. Also, researchers found, rituximab appears to be effective at inducing and maintaining remission in pediatric AAV patients.

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are much more likely to develop a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma — nearly 13 times more likely — than those without this disease, a population-based study from Sweden reports. Other cancers, especially bladder and pancreatic cancer, were also more frequent…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer‘s Ruxience (rituximab-pvvr), a biosimilar to Rituxan (rituximab), as a treatment for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) — the two most common subtypes of ANCA-associated vasculitis, the company announced. Pfizer also…

Major infections are the main cause of poor long-term outcomes and death in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, a Spanish study found. The study, “Prevalence and Risk Factors for Major Infections In Patients with Anca-associated Vasculitis. Influence on The Disease Outcome,” was published in…

People who live in the U.S. and have eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) now can be treated with Nucala (mepolizumab) once every four weeks through at-home injections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved an autoinjector and a pre-filled safety syringe as new methods to dose…

High blood levels of a signaling molecule called interleukin-21, or IL-21, may identify patients with active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AVV), a pilot study suggests. The study, “Serum interleukin-21 positivity could indicate the current activity of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: a monocentric…