News

Well, unless you had a month away from your internet connection, you probably know that June was Scleroderma Awareness Month, with World Scleroderma Day highlighting the end of the month on the 29th. However, as we scleroderma patients know only too well, we live with scleroderma for the remaining 364…

Keeping close watch over systemic sclerosis patients, at high risk for cardiovascular disease, with an implanted heart monitoring device may allow for early detection and treatment of cardiac events. Researchers at the University of Leeds, in the United Kingdom, revealed the potential of an implantable loop recorder for detecting abnormalities that affect the heart’s electrical…

Iloprost (brand name, Ventavis) in combination with bosentan (Tracleer) can improve blood flow in microscopic vessels called capillaries in the hands and feet of patients with systemic sclerosis, where poor capillary function often gives rise to Raynaud’s phenomenon. The study, “Effect of treatment with iloprost with or without bosentan on nailfold videocapillaroscopic alterations…

The pharmaceutical company iBio, which focuses on the clinical development of drugs for systemic sclerosis and other fibrotic diseases, was recently issued a U.S. patent protecting the company’s drug development attempts using endostatin-related peptides for the treatment of fibrosis. According to a press release, the patent, US 9,365,616, titled…

Several North American advocacy and research non-profit organizations will host a virtual flash mob June 29, on World Scleroderma Day, to raise awareness for the disease. The social media event will happen on the heals of more than 100 fundraising walks, tributes and other events held during June’s Scleroderma Awareness Month. Organizations heading up…

A small study by researchers in Greece showed that B-cell depletion through “off-label” use of an approved drug may help to treat skin fibrosis in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and identified specific molecules of likely importance to this process. The article, “B cell depletion therapy upregulates Dkk-1 skin expression in patients…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals recently announced that its Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the drug Resunab as a potential treatment for diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis is now fully enrolled. The study (NCT02465437) is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-control trial, taking place at nine sites across the U.S., to evaluate Resunab’s efficacy, tolerability, safety and pharmacokinetics…

Protagen AG, a biotechnology company specializing in diagnostic tests for autoimmune diseases, announced that their product Multilisa BICD2, for the diagnosis of scleroderma, gained CE marking.

Low levels of female sex hormones called estrogens might drive disease processes leading to skin fibrosis in scleroderma, according to a recent study evaluating the effect of estrogen on fibrosis in mice. The findings indicate that estrogen therapy might be used to harness fibrotic processes in women — an idea…

An easy-to-install heart monitor detects potentially deadly heart arrhythmias in patients with scleroderma without any known heart disease, according to a study presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2016), June 8-11 in London. The study underscores the need to identify patients at risk for heart disease to offer…