Abatacept News and Research

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Abatacept (marketed as Orencia) is a fusion protein composed of an immunoglobulin fused to the extracellular domain of CTLA-4, a molecule capable of binding B7. Abatacept is a selective costimulation modulator as it inhibits the costimulation of T cells. It was developed by Bristol-Myers-Squibb and is licensed in the United States for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the case of inadequate response to anti-TNFa therapy.

UCL scientists receive £997,000 from the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge

Scientists at the UCL Institute of Immunity & Transplantation (IIT) are part of a team to receive £997,000 from the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, a new partnership involving The Steve Morgan Foundation, Diabetes UK and JDRF.

19 Dec 2023

Advancements in food allergy research promise improved diagnosis and treatment options

A review in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology discusses the global trends in food allergy prevalence, with stabilization in developed regions and an increase in developing countries, alongside advancements in understanding the mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of food allergies.

13 Dec 2023

Clinical study launched to test the benefits of immune modulation for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A clinical trial has launched to test whether early intensive immune modulation for hospitalized COVID-19 patients with relatively mild illness is beneficial.

22 Sep 2023

Two anti-inflammatory drugs reduce deaths in severe COVID-19 patients

Two anti-inflammatory drugs, abatacept and infliximab, reduced deaths among patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, according to a national study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. William G. Powderly, MD, (right) who led the large clinical trial, discusses patient conditions with Maanasi Samant, MD, in the intensive care unit at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, one of the major trial sites, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Jul 2023

Research suggests people on rheumatoid arthritis drugs show weaker response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Researchers conducted a comparative study among a cohort of individuals on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapies vis-à-vis healthy controls to assess their responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.

9 Jan 2023

Immune modulator drugs improved clinical status, reduced deaths among patients hospitalized with COVID-19

A large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health shows that treating adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with infliximab or abatacept - drugs widely used to treat certain autoimmune diseases - did not significantly shorten time to recovery but did substantially improve clinical status and reduce deaths.

2 Jun 2022

New drug combination may prevent GvHD after stem cell transplantation for blood cancers

A drug combination can safely prevent transplanted stem cells, known as a graft, from attacking the recipient's body, allowing them to develop into healthy new blood and immune cells, a new study shows.

14 Dec 2021

Factors contributing to a weak antibody response to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

A new study discusses risk factors for the failure of seroconversion following full vaccination with the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.

18 Oct 2021

Baseline use of DMARDs linked with COVID-19 severity in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Due to sample size limitations, previous studies of DMARD use and COVID-19 outcomes have combined several different rheumatic diseases and medications, and investigated a single outcome- for example, the risk of hospitalization.

18 Jun 2021

Arthritis drug may be effective in treating immunotherapy-related heart complication

A drug typically prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis may also be effective in treating a rare but potentially deadly heart complication some cancer patients experience after taking immunotherapies, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery and co-led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

21 Dec 2020

NIH launches adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to test immune modulator drugs in COVID-19 patients

The National Institutes of Health has launched an adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19.

16 Oct 2020

New biomarker may help identify patients at risk for graft-versus-host disease after stem cell transplants

A recent report published in Science Translational Medicine by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center investigator Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D., sheds light on immune cell biomarkers that may reveal which patients are most at risk for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening condition that can arise after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for treatment of liquid cancers such as leukemia.

7 Oct 2020

New biomarkers may identify Type 1 diabetes patients who could benefit from immunotherapy

Scientists at UCL have discovered new biomarkers, which may identify those people with Type 1 diabetes who would benefit from the immunotherapy drug Abatacept, a finding which could eventually help thousands manage the disease more effectively.

3 Aug 2020

A major step toward preventing GvHD in patients receiving bone marrow transplants

A drug used for rheumatoid arthritis has moved a step closer to FDA approval for a desperately needed new use.

4 Dec 2019

Juvenile immune arthritis – new treatments wanted

Juvenile immune arthritis (JIA) is a severely undertreated condition, and new medications are badly needed to relieve the signs and symptoms of the illness, according to a new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

11 Nov 2019

Study provides first data on infectious risk in children exposed to non-TNFi biologics and tofacitinib

A new study found that very few serious infections were seen in children born to mothers with chronic inflammatory diseases who used non-TNFi biologics or tofacitinib during pregnancy compared to children not exposed to these drugs and children exposed to TNFi biologics in utero.

10 Nov 2019

Additional medications needed to control the symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis

According to new research findings presented this week at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, there is a profound ongoing need for additional medications to control the signs and symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, despite the availability of several approved biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (biologics).

10 Nov 2019

New immunosuppressive regimens may improve outcomes for kidney transplant patients

Preliminary results from a $5.2 million clinical trial led by University of Cincinnati researchers show that the immunosuppressive drug belatacept can help safely and effectively treat kidney transplant patients without the negative long-term side effects of traditional immunosuppressive regimens, the study's leaders announced this week.

6 Jun 2019

Drug improves disease-free, overall survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplants

Results from a phase 2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children's Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, show that the drug Abatacept (Orencia) nearly eliminated life-threatening severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

11 Dec 2017

Without price breaks, rural hospitals struggle to stock costly, lifesaving drugs

Hospital pharmacist Mandy Langston remembers when Lulabelle Berry arrived at Stone County Medical Center's emergency department last year.

18 Sep 2017