[ad_1]
Amarachi Okeh
A new experimental drug has shown promise in the treatment of people living with lupus.
The new drug has been shown to treat rashes in people with lupus and experts say it may also help with lupus-related joint pain, US News reports.
Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect different body systems — including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs, according to Mayo Clinic, a medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research.
While there’s no cure for lupus, experts say symptoms can improve if treatment starts early.
Recall that in May, a Nigerian actress Kemi Afolabi announced that she had begun treatment for the condition at John Hospital in the US.
This new finding was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A clinical trial of the drug, Litifilimab, showed that people with lupus who took it showed remarkable reductions in joint tenderness and swelling compared with people who took a placebo.
The new drug which is given as a shot is a monoclonal antibody. These are man-made molecules that target specific proteins in cells, the US News report revealed.
According to the report, the drug targets a protein called blood dendritic cell antigen 2. This protein is found on plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which produce inflammatory molecules including type 1 interferons.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Richard Furie said the new drug seems to help cool other inflammatory proteins involved in lupus, but noted that its chief effect is on type 1 interferon noting that there’s a lot of evidence that interferon is important in lupus.
Furie, who is chief of rheumatology at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park and a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York explaining how the medication works said “The antibody binds to BDCA2, the protein is internalized, and the synthesis of type 1 interferon is shut off.”
“Litifilimab doesn’t kill the cell: It just puts it to sleep,” He said.
To come to this result, 102 people with lupus who had at least four tender and four swollen joints were recruited and given a 450 mg dose of Litifilimab or a placebo for 24 weeks. The drug was given as a shot every four weeks.
The investigators noted that patients who took Litifilimab had fewer swollen and tender joints than their counterparts who got the placebo.
In addition to improving joint symptoms, the new drug also improved skin rashes and had a very robust effect on a scale measuring overall lupus symptoms and activity, the chief of rheumatology said.
According to the report by the US News, the new drug will move on to larger Phase 3 trials, to test safety and effectiveness.
The researchers also said they are hopeful that their findings will head towards approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.
[ad_2]
