Medscape highlighted updated research led by Jane E. Salmon, MD, rheumatologist at HSS, examining a potential new approach to preventing pregnancy complications in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), including those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Dr. Salmon presented updated results from the IMPACT trial at Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases 2026. The small, open-label phase 2 study found that adding certolizumab pegol to standard treatment was associated with a more than 50% reduction in adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with historical controls. Among the 45 pregnancies included in the original analysis, 93% resulted in infants surviving to hospital discharge. Since publication of the initial findings in 2025, 10 additional pregnancies have been added, all of which resulted in a child leaving the hospital alive, bringing the overall survival-to-discharge rate to 95%. 

While certolizumab has not been approved for the prevention of placenta-mediated adverse pregnancy outcomes, Dr. Salmon said the results have clinical relevance given the limited effectiveness of current approaches. She noted that continued research and careful monitoring of high-risk patients will be critical. “We should not protect at-risk pregnant women from research; we should protect them through research,” Dr. Salmon shared.

Read the full article at medscape.com.