Author Archives: Maureen Newman

This week at the Scleroderma Foundation of Southern California’s 17th annual “Key to a Cure” gala, Genentech‘s Senior Group Medical Director of Immunology, Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, will receive the honor of the Spirit of Leadership Award. The award is given to prominent individuals who have contributed to the scientific and…

Top-line results from the Apricus Biosciences, Inc. Phase 2a clinical trial for RayVa™ topical treatment in patients with scleroderma-related Raynaud’s phenomenon indicate the treatment is safe and effective. Patients tolerated treatment and reported a noticeable change in the way their skin temperature responded to a cold challenge. There are…

Preliminary results for the Phase 2 LARIAT clinical trial conducted by Reata Pharmaceuticals for bardoxolone methyl in pulmonary arterial hypertension will be presented at the upcoming 2015 American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) annual meeting in Montreal, Canada. Ronald Oudiz, MD, Professor of Medicine in David Geffen School of Medicine…

Tiny pieces of damaged endothelial cells, aptly called “microparticles” due to their size, can be generated in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). These cell particulates are created from a variety of processes, but are often the result of inflammation or shear stress from blood flow in narrowed arteries. Since pulmonary arterial…

A collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will focus on translational research for developing scleroderma and other fibrotic disease treatments. The goal is to combine the two teams’ expertise to advance exciting new research into effective therapeutic options for patients with fibrotic disease.

Patients in the LOTUSS study who were treated for systemic sclerosis-associated idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (SSc-IPF) using Esbriet (pirfenidone) showed signs of drug tolerability, according to a presentation at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2015 congress held in Rome. Esbriet, which was approved by the Food and…

Digital ulcers, or open sores on the fingers and toes that do not heal, are common complications of systemic sclerosis. Approximately 30% of patients with systemic sclerosis have digital ulcers, most commonly on the fingertips or on the elbows due to taut skin or trauma. These painful sores can lead…

Autoimmune conditions can sometimes come in pairs, and it appears that individuals for systemic sclerosis (SSc) may also be at a risk for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. A study from the Clinical Immunology Department of Colentina Clinical Hospital in Romania identified that patients with SSc commonly express antiphospholipid antibodies, although not…

It’s a breakthrough: Roche has been awarded breakthrough therapy designation status for its ACTEMRA®/RoACTEMRA® (tocilizumab) treatment in patients with systemic sclerosis. The designation will enable Roche to speed up development and review of its treatment to help bring systemic sclerosis patients this new treatment as soon as possible. “Close to…

An expert surgical team conducted the first lung reduction surgery in India. The recipient of the new, size-reduced lung was a 30-year-old woman named Mrs. Anita Devi, who suffers from scleroderma. The surgery was conducted to treat Mrs. Devi’s scleroderma-related pulmonary fibrosis, but the technique can be applied to a…