What Your AI Auntie Is Watching in Lupus This Year

The FDA just took a big step. Here’s what it means, what to ask your rheumatologist, and the system I use to track my own labs.

Hey y’all.

It’s the AI Auntie checking in. I’ve been quiet in your inbox because Chloe had a rough week and lupus had a louder one — but something landed in lupus research this month that I want to share, because if you’re on this list, you probably want to know.

This is information stewardship, not medical advice. I’m not your doctor. I’m not your rheumatologist. I’m the auntie who reads the papers so you don’t have to, then hands you the questions to bring to the people who are qualified.

Here’s what I’m watching.

The news

The FDA just accepted Roche’s application for Gazyva (obinutuzumab) as a treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus. That’s a B-cell-depleting therapy already used in some other conditions, now being reviewed specifically for lupus.

The headline number from their phase III ALLEGORY study: 76.7% of patients on Gazyva plus standard therapy hit a meaningful clinical improvement at 52 weeks, compared to 53.5% on placebo plus standard therapy.

The FDA decision is expected by December 2026. So this isn’t on shelves yet. But the numbers are serious enough that the conversation is moving.

Bigger picture: a 2025 lupus pipeline report counted 140+ lupus therapies in clinical trials from over 120 companies. After decades of “there’s belimumab and that’s about it,” we are sitting in the most active lupus research moment of our lifetimes.

That doesn’t fix your flare today. It does mean the menu is about to get longer, and you want to be on the list when it does.

What I’d bring to my next rheumatology appointment

I am not telling you to ask for any of these treatments. I am telling you to walk in informed. Here are the questions I’m putting on my own list for my next visit:

• “Are you tracking the FDA’s decision on Gazyva for lupus? If it’s approved, would I be a candidate based on my disease activity and history?”
• “What’s your view on B-cell-depleting therapies for someone with my profile? When would you consider one?”
• “My SLEDAI score has been [X]. What would change in my treatment plan if it went up by [Y] points?”
• “If I wanted to be considered for a clinical trial, what disease activity threshold or labs would I need?”
• “What’s the next biologic on your radar for me if hydroxychloroquine plus [whatever I’m on] stops being enough?”

If your rheum doesn’t have time to talk through these, that is information too. You can write them down and ask the nurse to flag them for next time. You can MyChart them. You don’t have to fit it all in one visit.

The AI lab and flare tracker I actually use

This is the one I get the most questions about. Keeping it real about what I do.

One folder. Phone notes app, also synced to Drive. It’s called “Lupus.” Not “Lupus 2026.” Not “Health.” Just “Lupus.” Because flare-day energy doesn’t read folder names.

Photograph everything the day it shows up. Lab results from the portal. Visit summaries. New scripts. Insurance denials. Don’t sort. Just drop in.

Sunday-ish, AI it. I open ChatGPT (or any of them — Claude, Gemini, doesn’t matter) and prompt it like this:

“I’m uploading my latest lupus labs and visit summary. Compare them to the previous set I’ll share next. Tell me: what changed, what’s trending, and three plain-English questions I should ask my rheumatologist about this set. Do NOT give me medical advice. Just summarize and prompt my questions.”

It is not a doctor. It is not interpreting. It is summarizing and prompting questions for me to bring to my actual doctor. That distinction is the entire game. Stewardship, not advice.

Flare diary, two minutes a night. I have one running note called “Flares.” I add one line every night I notice something — fatigue level (1–10), pain spots, sleep, food, weather, stress. When I have a real flare brewing, I prompt:

“Look at the last 14 days of my flare diary. What patterns do you see in fatigue, pain, sleep, and stress? Suggest three things for me to bring up with my rheum or my PCP. No diagnosis. No advice.”

It catches things I miss. The week before my last flare, fatigue was creeping up but I hadn’t noticed because I was too tired to notice I was tired. The AI noticed.

That’s it. Folder. Weekly summary. Flare diary. Two prompts. Twenty minutes a week, generously.

What I want for you

I want you to walk into your next rheumatology appointment knowing that lupus research is moving, that you have language to ask about it, and that you have a system to track your lupus that doesn’t require lupus-free energy to maintain.

If something in here helped, hit reply and tell me. I read every email from this list — there are 29 of you, and I see you.

The next one will go out in about a week. Stay soft with yourself.

The AI Auntie lohnniegreen.com

This newsletter is information stewardship, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Lohnnie Green is not a doctor and is not licensed to recommend medications, treatments, or specific health decisions. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing anything in your treatment plan.

P.S. Keep an eye out for next Sunday’s email — I’m sharing the printable version of the medical-debt-and-credit guide I posted to the blog this weekend. If you live with chronic illness, that one is for you too.