Recent advances in primary Sjogren's syndrome

Primary Sjögren's syndrome, a chronic inflammatory process, is among the most commonly occurring rheumatologic diseases. The clinical hallmark of this disease is exocrine gland dysfunction, resulting predominately in dry eyes and dry mouth. However, the disease often extends beyond the exocrine glands to seriously affect other organs systems, such as the lungs, kidneys, and nervous system. Moreover, patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome develop non-Hodgkin's B cell lymphoma at a substantially higher rate than the general population. New research has improved our understanding of disease mechanisms, with notable advances in our knowledge about the genetic susceptibility of disease, the molecular details of the chronic inflammatory response in the salivary glands, and the complex role of the type 1 interferon pathway. The pipeline of drugs under development for the treatment of primary Sjögren's syndrome is enriched with novel biologics and small molecular entities targeting the pathogenic process. Herein, we summarize the latest advances in elucidating the pathogenesis of primary Sjögren's syndrome and highlight new drugs in clinical development aiming to reverse the glandular dysfunction and favorably impact the systemic features of this disease.