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Voclosporin FDA Approved for Lupus Nephritis

Jack Cush, MD

On January 22nd, the FDA approved voclosporin (Lupkynis) for use in adults with active lupus nephritis; voclosporin is a calcineurin-inhibitor immunosuppressant indicated for use in combination with a background immunosuppressive therapy. FDA approval was based on data from the pivotal AURORA Phase 3 study and the AURA-LV Phase 2 study, which demonstrated the ability of voclosporin to significantly improve LN outcomes after 52 weeks of followup in SLE nephritis patients receiving background standard of care therapies like MMF, and low dose steroids. 

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RheumNow Podcast – Don’t Hold the Benlysta, Take the Vaccine (1.22.2021)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com, with more than a dozen items to discuss on this week's podcast.

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malar lupus

Factors Predictive of SLE Flare After HCQ Taper/Discontinuation

MedPage Today

The benefits of hydroxychloroquine in lupus are many, but if you were to withdraw HCQ? A recent study of five Canadian cohorts, suggests that certain baseline variables, including age, race, and steroid use,  were predictive of flare in patients with SLE who tapered or discontinued treatment with hydroxychloroquine.

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Long Term Safety and Efficacy of Tacrolimus in Lupus Nephritis

Jack Cush, MD

Takeuchi et al has published their large experience with long-term tacrolimus use in lupus nephritis patients showing its real-world safety and efficacy.

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Hydroxychloroquine Shortage During COVID-19

Jack Cush, MD

According to a recent report in Annals of Rheumatic Disease, public enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) created significant access issues for rheumatic patients in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Corticosteroid Use Hikes CV Risks in Rheumatic Patients

Jack Cush, MD

UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink population study shows that patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as RA, PMR, GCA and IBD, have an augmented risk of CV outcomes with glucocorticoid use; even lower doses had a near doubling of their underlying CVD risk.

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RheumNow Podcast – Lights, Camera, Zoom (1.8.2021)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and favorite blogs from this past week on RheumNow.com.

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Don’t Hold the Benlysta, Take the Vaccine https://t.co/yBWj2U4ZnZ

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Aurinia yesterday announced the FDA that the has approved voclosporin (Lupkynis) for Lupus Nephritis. Voclosporin is an oral calcineurin inhibitor to be used in combination with a background immunosuppressives to treat adultswith active lupus nephritis https://t.co/90ba2Iq0eU

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Don’t hold Benlysta for the COVID19 vaccine! Previous studies have shown that SLE pts on Benlysta (belimumab) still have good antibody response to vaccinations (including Prevnar14, PPSV23, flu and tetanus vaccines). ⁦@RheumNow⁩ https://t.co/4rFdcIKjkT

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k dao KDAO2011 ( View Tweet)

Canadian lupus cohort of 560 SLE pts without myositis at baseline. Over time, only 5 pts developed myositis (after mean 8.5 yrs). Incidence = 1.05 per 1000 PYs. Arthritis, Raynauds, -Sm Abs were common, but only non-Whites had increased risk of myositis. https://t.co/fzWhUADjMz

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Factors Predictive of SLE Flare After HCQ Taper/Discontinuation The benefits of hydroxychloroquine in lupus are many, but what if you were to withdraw HCQ? Read more: https://t.co/r5iDXBEuQP https://t.co/LImqA9y8Dn

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Epidemiologic study of #SLE from CDC & lupus registries estimates there are 204,295 SLE pts in USA (2018). Prevalence=72.8 SLE/100,000 and is 9 X higher in females than males (129 vs 14.6/100,000), especially among Ame Indians/Alaska Natives, Black females https://t.co/5yHVQ9UqZ4

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Sign up to attend RheumNow Live--March 20 and 21. CME credits available https://t.co/vJlU0Z3Q3x https://t.co/Z0ectgFD2d

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Type I interferon (IFN1) produced by plasmacytoid dendritic cells are prime drivers of adaptive immunity. Study of 137 SLE pts shows that baseline IFN1 scores correl w/ Dz activity, # flares, prednisone doses, immunosuppressive use over 5 yrs https://t.co/OGb4NfrcIU

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Long Term Safety and Efficacy of Tacrolimus in Lupus Nephritis--Takeuchi et al has published their extensive experience with long-term tacrolimus use in lupus nephritis patients showing its real-world safety and efficacy. https://t.co/hgMp5GcyFA https://t.co/Xdxg3v3wMm

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Chinese SLE CSTAR study of 4792 SLE patients, of whom 374 (7.8%) had scarring alopecia. Risk factors for scarring alopecia included mucocutaneous lesions (OR 2.1) high SLICC/ACR-DI (OR 1.4), & positive Sm (OR 1.4), but less seen w/ renal CV involvement https://t.co/Y466WK3shS

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

ACR Convergence 2020 Late Breaking Abstracts available from the ACR "Spotlight" slide give away. 10 slides on COVID, Tyk2 in PsA, FAST febuxostat study, Tofa in AS and novel drugs for SLE and PSS https://t.co/DvcDyusCUR

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

RheumNow Podcast is up! Benlysta safety, HCQ lowers thromboses, HCQ adherence, Telemedicine, Actemra in COVID,, 2021 looking forward and zoomatology! Watch it here>> https://t.co/PtfEUPB1hc or listen to podcast on Apple> https://t.co/FHJv01AAbC or Android>https://t.co/Iylluqqeej

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)

Adherence to Hydroxychloroquine Lowers Lupus Mortality A lupus cohort study from British Columbia, Canada has shown that medication adherence with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is associated with a 71% to 83% lower mortality. Read more... https://t.co/luoot7sZZl https://t.co/i2qrqU4EDy

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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
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