IVIG Eases Pain in Sjögren Nerve Disorder
A French randomized trial found intravenous immunoglobulin reduced pain and disability in patients with Sjögren disease and painful sensory neuropathy.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Arthritis
Intravenous immunoglobulin reduced pain and disability in adults with Sjögren disease and painful sensory neuropathy in the TINISS randomized placebo-controlled trial. The study, presented in Paris, is the first of its kind for this condition.
Why it matters
Earlier evidence for IVIG in this setting came from case reports, retrospective series and expert opinion, and those results were mixed. A controlled trial gives clinicians firmer grounds for considering the treatment in a condition that causes persistent nerve pain.
The TINISS trial enrolled 22 adults from 12 French university hospitals, with 80% of participants women. The primary endpoint was a 20% improvement at week 11, and the IVIG arm reached a 96.5% probability of superiority over placebo, though the sample was small and longer-term outcomes remain unclear.
The players
CSL Behring
A global biopharmaceutical company that manufactures immunoglobulin therapies and funded the research.
Gottenberg
A researcher at the University of Strasbourg who led work on the TINISS trial of IVIG in Sjögren disease.
The details
Participants were randomly assigned to IVIG or placebo, with 12 receiving IVIG and 10 receiving placebo. One participant withdrew before infusion due to lung cancer, and two serious adverse events occurred in each arm, none considered treatment-related.
Timeline
Primary endpoint assessed at week 11 of the trial.
Results presented November 2, 2026, at the International Symposium on Sjögren's Disease in Paris.
Health Landscape
Earlier IVIG evidence for Sjögren-related neuropathy came from case reports, retrospective series and expert opinion, with mixed results. The TINISS trial adds the first randomized placebo-controlled data for painful sensory neuropathy in this condition.
For people living with Sjögren disease and painful nerve symptoms, the trial suggests IVIG may reduce pain and disability, though it is not yet a standard treatment. Patients considering the therapy would need to discuss it with their clinicians, given its cost and the limited size of the study.
The takeaway
The trial offers the first controlled evidence that IVIG may help painful nerve symptoms in Sjögren disease, but larger studies will be needed to confirm its benefit and define who is most likely to respond.
Further reading
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