Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Fasenra (benralizumab) for treating adults with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare form of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Developed by AstraZeneca, Fasenra was already approved in more than 80 countries, including the U.S., as an add-on treatment…

Fasenra (benralizumab), which is approved for a rare type of asthma, and Nucala (mepolizumab) were similarly effective at inducing remission in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), but more people on Fasenra were able to stop using oral corticosteroids (OCS), with fewer monthly injections. That’s according to final published…

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) that required dialysis or a kidney transplant was associated with an elevated risk of death among people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), compared to patients who didn’t develop the complication, research indicates. A kidney transplant was associated with better prognosis compared to dialysis. On kidney biopsies,…

A worse physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at diagnosis was associated with a higher mortality risk among a group of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients in Korea, according to a new report. This risk was particularly noted in people with the AAV types microscopic polyangiitis, or MPA, and granulomatosis…

A first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing lixudebart, Alentis Therapeutics‘ investigational antibody therapy, in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with rapidly progressing glomerulonephritis (RPGN), a serious kidney disease. The study, RENAL-F02 (NCT06047171), currently is recruiting up to 60 adults with AAV…

Blood levels of ANCAs — the disease-causing antibodies that give ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) its name — can be used to help distinguish AAV from other conditions in which ANCAs might also be present, a study showed. Higher levels of the antibodies at diagnosis also were significantly tied to greater…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with kidney disease have significantly more activity among six genes associated with forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a type of antimicrobial web produced by immune neutrophil cells, a study shows. The activity levels of these genes increases with kidney function decline and is tied to…

A rare case of two family members with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), highlights the potential genetic underpinnings of the autoimmune disease, according to a recent report. This case of a mother and son both presenting with GPA add to a small, but accumulating,…

Blood levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant enzyme, are significantly lower in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) than those without this disease, and poorer outcomes are found in patients with greater reductions, a study reported. Specifically, lower blood SOD levels significantly associated with more inflammation, a greater likelihood…

Among the 56 reported cases of new or relapsed ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, more than three-quarters achieved remission with prompt treatment, according to a recent review study. SARS-COV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. AAV after vaccination may be related to several different mechanisms, including inflammation,…