Using this blood test, the earlier Phase II study results suggested that patients with high-affinity antibodies had the greatest serological response to the drug. We should be able to test patients before they enter a clinical trial to determine if they are likely to respond to our drug. The company believes that it has developed a blood test that can identify lupus patients who are most likely to respond to LJP 394 and is considering the use of this test to screen lupus patients with renal disease for entry into a Phase III clinical trial. The company has filed a patent application on this new blood assay. Lupus is a life-threatening autoimmune disorder in which a patient's own rogue B cells produce antibodies to dsDNA that are believed to promote lupus kidney disease, a principal cause of morbidity and mortality in lupus.
Renal flares are life-threatening episodes of kidney inflammation.
Lupus is believed to afflict more than 1,000,000 people in the United States and Europe. We believe these new findings are encouraging news for lupus patients. La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company . Any question regarding a medical diagnosis, treatment, referral, drug availability or pricing should be directed to either a licensed physician or to the product's manufacturer.