News

About one-third of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) or other forms of vasculitis postponed at least one of their healthcare visits during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but most continued adhering to treatment, a survey reveals. Moreover, patients with vasculitis are complying with advice to stay at…

Being underweight at diagnosis, with a low body mass index (BMI), is associated with a significantly greater risk of severe infections in older adults with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), a recent study in Japan reports. Other significant predictors of severe infection included…

A group of European experts have drafted a series of recommendations for the use of immunosuppressive therapies, such as rituximab, and the timing for COVID-19 vaccination in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Most treatment plans will require a tailored approach, and a likely delay in immunosuppressive doses during vaccination,…

Adding vilobelimab (IFX-1) to standard of care treatment is safe and well-tolerated among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to top-line results from the ongoing Phase 2 IXPLORE study. Some participants also showed clinical response and remission, although the study was not designed to assess the statistical significance…

The likelihood of developing ANCA-associated vasculitis rises significantly among people living near quarries that extract quartz with silica, a data analysis from France reported.  Its findings also support silica exposure as a specific environmental risk factor for this disease. …

A committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — which provides the agency with non-binding recommendations from independent medical experts — has narrowly supported the approval of avacopan for the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). In the final segment of a public meeting,…

Activities ranging from sporting wearable art to highlighting “patient heroes” are underway to mark Vasculitis Awareness Month (VAM), set aside each May to call attention to this rare autoimmune disease. International Vasculitis Day is May 15. Awareness and education are crucial to increasing the recognition, diagnosis, understanding, and management of…

A molecule released by platelets — cell fragments in the blood that form clots and stop or prevent bleeding — appears to contribute to the progression of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) by triggering a defense mechanism carried out by white blood cells. Researchers now have identified a key signaling event…

Nucala (mepolizumab) is effective and safe in combination with corticosteroids to treat eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), resulting in decreased disease activity and increased remission rates than standard treatment alone, a small study has found. Patients taking Nucala received…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…