Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

An imaging test that can make detailed pictures of the heart can detect scar tissue buildup in the heart muscle of adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), even if they’re not having disease symptoms, a review study shows. “Incorporating cMRI [cardiac MRI] into routine evaluations could improve the detection and…

Infections are a leading cause of early death in adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), being most common in the first year after a diagnosis when treatment with immunosuppressive medications is most intense, a single-center study in Australia suggests. Hospitalizations due to infections tended to decrease after a dedicated vasculitis…

Adults with active eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), report improvements in health-related quality of life as early as one week after starting treatment with Nucala (mepolizumab). These are the findings of a multicenter European study that evaluated the effects of Nucala…

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) patients with high blood levels of the inflammatory protein interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) at the onset of their disease are significantly more likely to have relapses despite treatment, a small study in Japan shows. The findings suggest IFN-gamma may serve as a biomarker to predict relapses in MPA,…

Fasenra (benralizumab) and Nucala (mepolizumab) appear to be equally safe and effective in helping adults with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) achieve disease remission, according to a real-world study in Europe that directly compared the two approved therapies. Still, at one year, AstraZeneca’s Fasenra was associated with…

Adding Tavneos (avacopan) to standard treatment for the two main types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) results in fewer adverse events — including a lesser number of serious side effects and infections — in adults with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or GPA, and microscopic polyangiitis, known as MPA. That’s according…

Elevated levels in the blood of ferritin, a protein that binds to iron and stores it for use by the body, are linked to more severe damage in people with active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and to a poorer outlook for the kidneys, according to a new study from China.

Testing for the presence of specific self-reactive antibodies linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may help doctors more easily tell microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) from granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), the two most common types of AAV, a study showed. Classifying patients as MPA or GPA based on the different types…

Long-term treatment with Nucala (mepolizumab) — approved for use in EGPA, or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, the rarest type of ANCA-associated vasculitis — appears to be well tolerated by most patients, and was seen to reduce or even eliminate corticosteroid use. That’s according to new data from an…

A Phase 1 clinical trial assessing SC291, an experimental CAR T-cell therapy that Sana Biotechnology is developing for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and other autoimmune diseases, is recruiting patients at a number of sites across the U.S. Called GLEAM (NCT06294236), the study started enrolling up to…