Content about Systemic lupus erythematosus

LONDON — Vitamin D supplementation could be considered an immunomodulatory agent for systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease characterized not only by skin, joint, neurological and renal symptoms, but also by inflammation of tissue linings in the body, according to a new clinical study published Tuesday in BioMedCentral's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. 

An immunomodulatory agent has an effect on the immune system. 

NEW YORK — Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb will present 20 study abstracts at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, the company said Thursday.

Bristol said that of those, 18 contain new data from studies of Orencia (abatacept) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus nephritis.

ROCKVILLE, Md. A decision by a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee could pave the way for the first new drug to treat lupus in decades.

The FDA’s Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 13-2 Tuesday to recommend approval for Benlysta (belimumab), a drug for systemic lupus erythematosus made by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and U.S.-based Human Genome Sciences, the two companies announced. Lupus is an inflammatory disorder that affects internal organs, joints and skin and, in its severest forms, can be fatal.