It’s day 4 of the American College of Rheumatology’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago! There is no stopping Dario and Jenny as they bring us the latest in lupus research and updates. There have been many exciting announcements including results from a LFA initiative studying the effect of background medication in clinical trials for lupus treatments, which may provide needed insight on patient response and help create pathways forward for the development of new treatments.

In addition, Dr. S. Sam Lim from Emory University School of Medicine will present in a new study this afternoon regarding the number of people with lupus in the United States. The data indicates that overall prevalence of lupus in this population is higher than seen in previous studies, suggesting longer survival and/or more frequent diagnosis of lupus. According to Dr. Lim, lupus continues to affect significant numbers of people across racial and ethnic lines, but with a disproportionate burden on black women. Results from this study provide additional and more accurate evidence that lupus is a significant and complex disease. You can read more about it here and follow along with us on Twitter as we live-tweet the session.

Hope you all are enjoying the updates. Let us know if you have any questions and I will be sure to pass them on to our team in Chicago!

Lupus Foundation of America Funded Research First to Use Pooled Data from Previous Treatment Trials

Initial findings from a research study funded by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) the first-ever to use pooled data from five industry-sponsored treatment trials, was presented during the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology held in Chicago, November 7-10, 2011. The study examines the effect of background medications taken by individuals enrolled in these clinical trials. This study is the first in a series of studies, and part of an overall initiative spearheaded by the LFA, that involves stakeholders from industry and key lupus opinion leaders to seek insights and trends from previous trials in an effort to improve the design of future lupus clinical trials. Due to the complexity of lupus, there is an urgent need for an arsenal of safe, effective, and tolerable treatments for lupus.

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