News

With the U.S. midterm elections now less than two weeks away, patient advocacy groups are solidly focused on a range of hot-button issues, from the Orphan Drug Tax Credit and affordable health insurance to future funding for rare disease research. Yet “whether Democrats take over the House or Senate,…

The frequency of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) appears to increase with exposure to carbon monoxide and colder climates, with patients more often diagnosed in winter months, a Chinese study reports. The disease also seems to be more common among people in Northern China and in certain ethnic minorities, like the Dong, Zhuang, and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a label update for Rituxan (rituximab) to include information for patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) who have achieved disease control after induction treatment. A combination of Genentech‘s Rituxan and glucocorticoids, Rituxan has been approved since…

Women who develop ANCA-associated vasculitis while pregnant are more likely to suffer maternal and fetal complications, according to a systematic literature review. To ensure the best possible outcome, investigators recommend these patients be closely monitored by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers. The systematic review, “De novo…

A patient in New York was diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis and compromised kidney function caused by levamisole-adulterated cocaine, which scientists consider to be a rare occurrence. The study, “Unusual case of levamisole-induced dual-positive ANCA vasculitis and crescentic glomerulonephritis,” was published in BMJ Case Reports. Levamisole is…

An individually tailored treatment with Rituxan (rituximab) is as effective as the standard fixed-schedule regimen in preventing relapses over 28 months in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients in remission. The data also indicated that the less frequent infusions in the tailored approach may improve safety, according to a…

Inhaling cocaine regularly can cause tissue and blood changes that may mimic those found in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a case report shows. These findings suggest that in patients with suspected vasculitis, a detailed clinical and drug abuse history could lead to an accurate diagnosis and prevent the administration of…

Half a year has gone by since disgraced pharma executive Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for securities and wire fraud while heading San Diego-based Retrophin. As founder and CEO of another company (then known as Turing Pharmaceuticals), in late 2015 Shkreli bought the rights…

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who receive a minimal glucocorticoid treatment along with Rituxan (rituximab) and cyclophosphamide show similar improvement as those given standard glucocorticoid regimens, but have lower glucocorticoid-associated adverse events, a study shows. The study, “A novel glucocorticoid-free maintenance regimen for anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody–associated vasculitis,” was published…

Muscle weakness may, in rare cases, be a presenting symptom of ANCA-associated vasculitis, and a muscle biopsy should be considered in these cases to confirm a diagnosis, a case report suggests. The report, “Muscle weakness as a presenting symptom in ANCA-associated vasculitis,” appeared in the European…