Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Common variants in genes that encode proteins of the alternative complement pathway, a part of the immune system, may raise the risk of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and severe disease-related kidney damage, a study shows. Researchers also found a link between worse disease outcomes and AAV…

An 18-month fixed-schedule maintenance regimen of rituximab is better at keeping ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in remission for up to seven years than azathioprine or a rituximab regimen tailored to an individual, according to pooled data from the Phase 3 MAINRITSAN program. Doubling the length of this fixed-schedule regimen did…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing Q32 Bio’s ADX-097 in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) will be the result of a recently announced merger between the company and Homology Medicines. While further details on the trial were not disclosed, results are expected in the second half of…

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is the most common type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in Italy and is linked to worse symptoms and higher mortality and healthcare costs than microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), another common AAV type, a study finds. Using immunosuppressive glucocorticoids was also associated with higher costs…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may present different lung involvement patterns depending on the type of disease and self-reactive antibodies driving the disease, according to a small study. Given that “the type of pulmonary involvement in AAV is important to predict prognosis and mortality as well as for treatment…

A low dose of intravenous or into-the-vein methylprednisolone, a corticosteroid, is as safe and effective as a high dose at preserving kidney function and extending survival in people with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a U.K. study found. Given that corticosteroids, a standard AAV treatment, are associated with significant…

A protein fragment called Ba that’s produced when the alternative complement pathway is activated is found at high levels in the urine of people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) during a kidney flare, a small study suggests. This means it may serve as a biomarker for predicting and monitoring kidney-related…

AstraZeneca’s Fasenra (benralizumab) — approved for a rare type of asthma — does no worse than Nucala (mepolizumab) at keeping eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in remission. These are the first findings of the head-to-head Phase 3 MANDARA clinical trial (NCT04157348) that showed the study met its…

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) was the most common type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) among girls and Hispanic children in a California tertiary care hospital, a small study has found. While time to diagnosis was shorter, children with the disorder seemed to need more intensive care and dialysis, a treatment that…

An approach that removes specific antibodies from a person’s blood is better than a standard, more general blood-cleaning procedure called plasma exchange at clearing the self-reactive antibodies that drive ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). That’s according to a small study in China that looked at data from AAV patients with severe…