Lupus

Dr. Jack Cush reviews and highlights his favorite abstracts and presentations from last week's virtual EULAR 2021 meeting.

EULAR 2021 opened with a grand debate to answer this essential question:  should clinicians treat to remission or to Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS)?  

An analysis of SLE samples from SLE 1760 patients with active disease from RCTs illustrated several known and some new targets for SLE treatment (POS0351).

Combination disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy may not be only for rheumatoid arthritis; combining disease modifying agents may be the path to better renal response. 

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) consists of a wide range of dermatologic manifestations seen in people with or without systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CLE can be categorised into LE-specific lesions, i.e. acute CLE (ACLE), subacute CLE (SCLE) and chronic CLE (CCLE), and nonspecific LE skin lesions (e.g. vasculitis).

Here are a few notable presentations from this past Friday, Day 3 of the EULAR 2021 virtual meeting.

The question as to how autoimmune rheumatic disease patients fare with the COVID vaccine is one being asked in rheumatologists’ offices everywhere this year, and at the EULAR 2021 Virtual Congress, data presented from Israel, one of the first countries to vaccinate on a broad scale, has provided much-needed reassuring answers.

On day 2 of EULAR conference, Dr. Michael Ehrenstein presented OP0129, a presentation on the BEAT-LUPUS trial looking at belimumab therapy after rituximab. B cell depletion with rituximab is common treatment for refractory SLE, though real-world data for rituximab has been uncertain. It is known that B-cell activating factor (BAFF) levels can increase after rituximab, which can lead to disease flares. Using belimumab, a human monoclonal antibody

Check out this compilation of our EULAR 2021 Day 1 broadcasts below. You can follow the EULAR 2021 RheumNow podcasts on iTunes and Soundclound.com Listen by Clicking below: Day 1a Day 1b

Many great presentations this week at EULAR 2021 will feature industry sponsored clinical trials and reports.  Often these become the pivotal studies for regulatory approval and the annual congresses are their first look.