News

University of Colorado researchers have discovered a molecule that prevents the activation of a receptor that scientists believe is involved in autoimmune diseases. The team at university’s BioFrontiers Institute used the compound to block the receptor’s action. Their work may alter the path of therapy development in scleroderma and other…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) says it’s “disappointed and dismayed” after the House of Representatives voted 227-205 last week to repeal the Orphan Drug Tax Credit as part of a U.S. tax reform package. A similar package before the Senate Finance Committee does not repeal the credit…

Scleroderma patients’ nerve-related hand problems, including numbness, tingling and pain, may stem from the main nerve to the hands becoming stiffer than normal, according to Turkish researchers. The team discovered that the nerve was stiffer than usual at both the wrist and forearm. This prompted them to suggest that scientists…

A study of the gut bacterial composition in scleroderma patients identified unique bacterial alterations associated with clinical evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Many patients with scleroderma, also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc), suffer from gastrointestinal tract symptoms, with almost all of those with longstanding disease having upper gastrointestinal involvement. Focus has recently shifted…

Non-invasive extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) was shown to significantly improve the wound healing process in patients with systemic sclerosis and digital ulcers. Results from the study, presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, suggest that ESWT can be safely used as a therapeutic option to…

The thick skin that is a hallmark of scleroderma showed meaningful improvement in 75 percent of patients treated with Corbus Pharmaceuticals’ anabasum (JBT-101), according to initial results of an extension trial. Corbus discussed the first six months’ findings of the one-year extension study at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals is sharing a host of data on anabasum (JBT-101) for the treatment of diffuse cutaneous scleroderma at the ongoing American College of Rheumatology (“ACR”) 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego. Researchers presented data from an earlier Phase 2 trial of the cannabinoid-derived drug, along with a study proving…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has extended its intellectual property portfolio with a new patent fo its investigative cannabinoid-derived drug candidate anabasum to treat inflammatory diseases. The new patent (No. 9,801,849), issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, protects the use of anabasum for the treatment of systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis,…

Children’s National Health System no longer treats just kids. Its Rare Disease Institute, launched in April 2017, has partnered with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) to become the first of many U.S. “centers of excellence” to look after patients with rare diseases, regardless of age. The effort…

Specific autoantibodies may give rise to clear differences in disease features among Spanish patients with scleroderma, according to a report in the journal Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. These differences are similar to those reported in other populations, and suggest that analyses of specific autoantibodies may provide physicians with additional…