News

An extension of a Phase 2/3 study testing Actemra (tocilizumab) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) found that skin involvement improved with 48 additional weeks of treatment. A Phase 3 trial looking to confirm these results is now underway. Trial results, were published in the study “Safety and…

Systemic sclerosis affects quality of life and places a financial burden on the healthcare system, a study indicates. The research, “Humanistic and cost burden of systemic sclerosis: A review of the literature,” was published in the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. Although systemic sclerosis is thought of as…

A newly discovered genetic variant in the FOXP3 gene is associated with a slower progression of systemic sclerosis in women, a small Italian cohort study reports. The research “FOXP3, ICOS and ICOSL gene polymorphisms in systemic sclerosis: FOXP3 rs2294020 is associated with disease progression in a female Italian population”…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has extended its intellectual property portfolio with a new patent for its investigative cannabinoid-derived drug candidate anabasum to treat multiple fibrotic diseases. Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the mark gives Corbus protection in the United States until 2034. It adds to a patent…

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…