News

Real-world analysis examines rituximab use in CAD

Treatment with rituximab led to improvements in biomarkers of red blood cell destruction among people with cold agglutinin disease (CAD), but the  improvements often were short-lived and reversible, according to a real-world analysis in the U.S. The therapy, which often is used off-label for the rare autoimmune disease, also…

CAD and cryoglobulinemia often co-exist, report suggests

Among people with cold agglutinin disease (CAD), more than half were found to have a related autoimmune disorder called cryoglobulinemia, which affected symptom presentation but did not appear to affect survival. That’s according to a small study in which 59% of CAD patients tested positive for cryoglobulins, the…

BioCryst eyes oral treatment candidate for CAD by 2025

BioCryst is working to develop a new oral therapy for cold agglutinin disease (CAD) that suppresses the immune complement cascade, and expects to have a lead candidate selected by 2025. This and other drug development plans were shared recently by the biotech company in a “R&D Day”…

SARS-CoV-2 virus may have induced toddler’s severe AIHA

A 2-year-old, healthy girl developed a severe, mixed form of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) as a result of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a case study reports. While AIHA — a group of rare autoimmune conditions that include cold agglutinin disease (CAD) — secondary to COVID-19…

Pre-treatments helped limit complications of CAD during surgery

In people with cold agglutinin disease (CAD), pre-treatment with rituximab and plasma exchange may help limit complications during surgeries where the patient’s body temperature is decreased, a new report illustrates. The case study, “Total arch replacement for an aortic arch aneurysm with cold agglutinin disease after…