News

Wize Pharma has enrolled the first participant in a Phase 4 clinical trial investigating the company’s LO2A drops to prevent the dry eye seen in Sjogren’s syndrome. The trial (NCT03319420) in Israel will compare LO2A’s ability to relieve dry eyes with that of an over-the-counter treatment known as Systane…

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is better than clinical examination and blood tests for the best management of  hand arthritis in Sjogren’s syndrome patients, according to a new study. The findings were presented recently at the European Lupus Meeting 2018, in Düsseldorf, Germany, in an abstract titled “PS6:120 Hand ultrasound guided therapeutic decisions…

Treatment with ciclosporin A — an anti-inflammatory medication — significantly improved the signs and symptoms of patients with moderate-to-severe dry eye disease (DED), including those with Sjögren’s syndrome, an analysis of two Phase 3 studies shows. The study, “Efficacy and safety of 0.1% ciclosporin A cationic emulsion in…

Autophagy — a physiological process that involves the destruction of old or diseased cells in the body, maintaining normal functions by protein degradation — is impaired in the salivary glands of patients with Sjogren’s syndrome, but may be corrected through the use of a potential therapy called P140 peptide, according…

Dental implants to replace dry mouth-associated missing teeth in Sjögren’s syndrome patients show high survival rates, low complications, and an improved quality of life in patients, according to a review of research going back to 1997. The study, “Dental implants in Sjögren’s syndrome patients: A systematic…

Genetic sequencing and the speed with which it can help diagnose a child’s disease — in addition to revealing the genes that cause at least half of the 7,000 rare diseases currently known — was the focus of a discussion by three top New York geneticists. The Feb. 28 conference,…

Patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) have high levels of an inflammatory protein known as interleukin-17 (IL-17), Chinese researchers report. IL-17 levels also correlate with the severity of the disease, suggesting that scientists could develop a treatment around the molecule, also called a cytokine. The study, “…

When it comes to rare diseases, one that definitely makes the list is spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress — SMARD, for short. Hunter Pageau, a 12-year-old boy from North Haven, Connecticut, is one of only 80 people in the world known to have SMARD, a motor neuron disease…

Sjogren’s syndrome patients with chronic dry eyes have higher medical costs than people with dry eyes who don’t have Sjogren’s, a study from Eastern China shows. The research also points to a link between anxiety and medical costs for dry eye treatment in Sjogren’s patients. The study, “…

In his 10 months on the job, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is earning praise for his efforts to make clinical trials for new therapies more flexible and responsive to the needs of rare disease patients. From cystic fibrosis to epidermolysis bullosa, the FDA…