Marta Figueiredo, PhD,  Managing Science Editor—

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has agreed to review Vifor Pharma and ChemoCentryx’s application requesting the approval of avacopan to treat granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), the companies announced in a press release. GPA and MPA are two types of…

High blood levels of FCRL5 — a protein mainly found in certain B-cells, a type of immune cell — are linked with a greater likelihood of achieving and maintaining a complete response to rituximab in people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA),…

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) may be a safe and effective alternative to the standard induction therapy cyclophosphamide in certain ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients, a review study reports. Based on the data, researchers recommend that MMF be used in patients with autoantibodies against myeloperoxidase (MPO), non-life-threatening disease, and those…

Lung involvement increases the risk for both induction therapy resistance and disease relapse in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with autoantibodies against myeloperoxidase, a Chinese study suggests. High levels of creatinine was also found to be a risk factor for treatment resistance. These findings, while needing further confirmation,…

ChemoCentryx has secured a credit facility of up to $100 million from Hercules Capital to support the upcoming costs of its new drug application (NDA) for avacopan, its investigational treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and the therapy’s commercial launch, if approved. The $100 million credit will be divided into…

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) — DNA specific to mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses — may be used as a urinary biomarker of kidney damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a Chinese study. The study, “Urinary mitochondrial DNA is a useful biomarker for assessing kidney injury…

Being a former or current cigarette smoker significantly increases the risk of developing ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), data from a large U.S. study show. This association was particularly  strong in patients with antibodies against myeloperoxidase (MPO). The abstract with the findings, titled “Cigarette Smoking Is a…

The autoimmune condition ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) needs improved classification systems that can better predict disease outcomes, a Spanish study says. Disease management should be based more on individual patient characteristics and levels of disease severity than on general classifications or ANCA specificities, the researchers suggest. The study, “…

Antiviral therapy prevents silent reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients and improves patients’ immune responses, a proof-of-concept clinical study shows. These results suggest that antiviral therapy may reduce the risk of infection in these patients. The study, “Subclinical Reactivation of Cytomegalovirus Drives CD4+CD28null T-Cell Expansion…

Excessive activation of a defense mechanism of neutrophils — key immune cells in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) — is a potential biomarker for active disease, according to researchers. Their study, “Excessive neutrophil extracellular trap formation in ANCA-associated vasculitis is independent of ANCA,” was published in the journal Kidney…