News

Research reveals key differences in IgG4-RD lung damage: Study

Imaging scans of people with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) affecting the lungs revealed two primary types of lung damage, which corresponded to different disease features, a study reports. One damage pattern, called round ground-glass opacity (GGO), suggested more extensive injury than the other, and was more frequently associated with male…

IgG4-RD causes windpipe problems in 16-year-old girl: Case report

For a 16-year-old girl in Turkey, immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) manifested as a narrowing of the windpipe, known as tracheal stenosis, which was marked by shortness of breath as the main problem for which she sought treatment. The teen’s symptoms were eased, and her windpipe widened, after treatment with…

Doctors need to better understand IgG4 pancreatitis, study says

As IgG4-related pancreatitis, or pancreas inflammation, becomes increasingly recognized as a manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), physicians need to better understand how to recognize and treat it, according to a review study giving a comprehensive overview of the clinical features associated with IgG4-related pancreatitis (IRP) and how it should be…

Uplizna recommended for approval in EU as treatment for IgG4-RD

An advisory committee of the European Medicines Agency, or EMA — which evaluations medications for drug approval in the European Union — has recommended Uplizna (inebilizumab) for the treatment of adults with active IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). The positive opinion from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human…

Combining treatments may reduce risk of relapses in IgG4-RD

People with immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) are more likely to relapse if they have allergies, multiple organ involvement, or low levels of complement proteins — but using corticosteroid treatments together with immunosuppressants may reduce this risk. That’s according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies that sought to identify potential…

Rituximab effective for all IgG4-RD disease types, study finds

Rituximab is effective for all four clinical profiles of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), but two IgG4-RD profiles, or phenotypes, may show poorer responses, according to a multicenter study in Europe. “Patients in the retroperitoneal and aortic and head and neck-limited phenotypes may be less responsive,” the researchers said, and…

Zenas secures up to $300M to advance obexelimab for IgG4-RD

Zenas Biopharma has secured up to $300 million from Royalty Pharma to accelerate the development of obexelimab, its investigational treatment that could provide much-needed relief for people with immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In exchange, Royalty Pharma will receive a share of royalties on sales of obexelimab, which is…

Diagnosing children with IgG4-RD requires flexibility, study finds

Diagnosing IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) in children may require a flexible framework involving many kinds of tests, as the disease often looks different in children than in adults, according to a review study from researchers in Italy. While IgG4-RD in adults usually affects multiple organs over time, in children it…

Sanofi’s Rilzabrutinib earns orphan drug status in EU for IgG4-RD

The European Medicines Agency has granted orphan drug designation to Sanofi’s rilzabrutinib as a potential treatment for immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), according to a company press release. Orphan drug status is meant to support the development of potential treatments for life-threatening or chronically debilitating rare diseases for which…