News

Fibrocell Science of Exton, Pa., recently started a preclinical dose-ranging study for FCX-013, an investigational drug to treat linear scleroderma. The company expects to initiate a safety study and apply for Investigational New Drug (IND) status to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late 2017. The design of…

A key milestone has been achieved in the development of Inventiva’s IVA337, an anti-fibrotic drug for treating systemic sclerosis (SSc), with the enrollment of the 100th patient in the Phase 2b FASST trial. The FASST trial (NCT02503644) has now 75% of subjects enrolled, and the company expects to complete…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals of Norwood, Mass., will commence a single Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating Anabasum (formerly known as Resunab or JBT-101) to treat diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc). This new study — which will support a New Drug Application (NDA) — is based on guidance provided by the U.S. Food and Drug…

Blood levels of the KL-6 and SP-D proteins may help doctors monitor the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study reports. The research, “Serum KL-6 And Surfactant Protein-D As Monitoring And Predictive Markers Of Interstitial Lung Disease In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis And…

Activation of certain immune cells in scleroderma (SSc) may be linked to infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), researchers showed. The study, “Epstein-Barr virus lytic infection promotes activation of Toll-like receptor 8 innate immune response in systemic sclerosis monocytes,” appeared in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. The human immune system…

Scleroderma patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who respond well to treatment have more lung artery side branches than patients who respond poorly, according to a study. A milestone in the study was that researchers used an imaging method that had never been used in a scleroderma study. It allows…

The number of white blood cells known as CD16+ monocytes is notably greater in the blood of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients when skin or lung fibrosis is present, researchers said, recommending that these cells be studied further to determine if they contribute to fibrosis development in SSc. The study, “CD16-positive circulating…

Stretching increased skin movement, reduced skin thickness and improved mobility in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc), researchers reported. The study suggests that stretching is an under-used non-pharmacological way to treat SSc and deserves further investigation. The research, “Stretching reduces skin thickness and improves subcutaneous tissue mobility…

Blood vessel-dilating treatments increase blood flow equally well in digital ulcers on fingertips and in extensor surface ulcers, which occur on the opposite side of joints. This shows that a lack of blood supply — and therefore oxygen to the tissue — cause both types of ulcers in scleroderma patients.

Physician adherence to guidelines for screening for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) was found to be poor in Australia, according to a multi-center research study that evaluated the percentage of doctors who adhere to recommended SSc guidelines. The study, “Epidemiology and disease…