Joana Carvalho, PhD, managing science editor —

Administering rituximab repeatedly may improve the response of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) to the medication, a study says. The findings were reported in the study, “Non‐Linear Rituximab Pharmacokinetics and Complex Relationship between Rituximab Concentrations and Anti‐Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA) in ANCA‐Associated Vasculitis: The RAVE Trial Revisited,”…

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy leads to a fast and significant reduction in disease activity, as well as in the levels of inflammatory biomarkers, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a review of several studies found. The study, “The therapeutic efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin in anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody-associated…

Dividing people with active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) into different subgroups may be useful for determining prognosis and selecting each person’s best course of treatment, researchers say. The classification method would be based on the levels of specific types of immune cells found in the patients’ blood. Results from…

The formation, composition, and structure of antimicrobial traps in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients are markedly different from those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study says. The findings of the study, “Neutrophil extracellular trap formation is intrinsically distinct in ANCA‐associated vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus,” were published…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis with high levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) antibodies at diagnosis are more likely to have poor kidney function and lower 2-year renal survival, a study says. The study, “High anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody titers are associated with the requirement of permanent dialysis in patients with myeloperoxidase-ANCA-associated…

The Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) and the Five Factors Score (FFS) are both useful tools for predicting the prognosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis, and for selecting the best first-line therapy, a study says. Researchers recommended using both for best patient care. The study, “Comparison of…

A combination of Rituxan (rituximab) and Soliris (eculizumab) may be used to replace glucocorticoids for the treatment of patients with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis, a case report suggests. The report, “Glucocorticoid-free induction regimen in severe ANCA-associated vasculitis using a combination of rituximab and…

The first patient has been dosed in InflaRx‘s ongoing European Phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of its IFX-1 investigational therapy for the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), the company announced. IFX-1, the company’s lead drug candidate, is a first-in-class antibody designed…

ChemoCentryx remains on track to report topline results later this year from its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of oral avacopan (CCX168) in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), the company announced. Avacopan is an investigational inhibitor of the complement C5a receptor,…

Some patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) produce antibodies against antimicrobial traps that may partly explain why these traps are capable of withstanding normal degradation, a study says. The study, “The presence of anti-neutrophil extracellular trap antibody in patients with microscopic polyangiitis,” was published in the journal Rheumatology.