Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
LLDAS and remission attainment with anifrolumab treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: results from the TULIP and long-term extension randomised controlled trials
Ann Rheum Dis. 2025:S0003-496700071-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ard.2025.01.016. Epub ahead of print
Morand et al. conducted a post-hoc analysis of the phase III TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 trials and their long-term extension, including 369 patients with moderate to severe SLE, to evaluate the long-term impact of anifrolumab on attainment of LLDAS and DORIS-defined remission. The results demonstrated that anifrolumab significantly improved the likelihood, speed, and duration of LLDAS and DORIS remission versus placebo over 4 years, with benefits sustained throughout the treatment period.
Keywords:
Efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab in active lupus nephritis
NEJM, 2025. Epub ahead of print. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2410965
Furie et al. demonstrated that obinutuzumab plus standard therapy significantly improved complete renal response at Wk76 compared with placebo. No unexpected safety signals were identified, though infections and COVID-19-related events were more frequent in the obinutuzumab group.
Kidney Outcomes and Preservation of Kidney Function with Obinutuzumab in Patients with Lupus Nephritis: A Post Hoc Analysis of the NOBILITY Trial
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023 DOI 10.1002/art.42734
This post hoc analysis of the Phase 2 NOBILITY trial determined that obinutuzumab plus standard of care improved the likelihood of long-term preservation of kidney function and improved kidney function with less glucocorticoid use in patients with lupus nephritis.
Keywords:
EULAR Recommendations for the Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: 2023 Update
Ann Rheum Dis 2023;83(1):15–29 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-224762
The objective of this international task force was to update the EULAR recommendations for the management of SLE. The Task Force agreed on 5 overarching principles and 13 recommendations, generating an overall framework for the approach to a patient with SLE. The updated recommendations provide consensus guidance on the management of SLE, combining evidence and expert opinion.
Keywords:
Sustained Glucocorticoid Tapering in the Phase 3 Trials of Anifrolumab: A post hoc Analysis of the TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 Trials
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac491
Pooled analysis of the TULIP trials demonstrates that sustained glucocorticoid (GC) tapering is associated with several clinical benefits in patients with moderate-to-severe SLE.
Keywords:
Baricitinib for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled, Phase 3 Trial (SLE-BRAVE-I)
Lancet. 2023 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02607-1
Primary endpoint in SLE-BRAVE-I study was met for the 4 mg baricitinib group, however, key secondary endpoints were not.
Lupus Low Disease Activity State Attainment in the Phase 3 TULIP Trials of Anifrolumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Ann Rheum Dis. 2023. doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-222748
Post-hoc anaylsis of TULIP trials shows that, compared with placebo, anifrolumab treatment was associated with earlier, more frequent, and more prolonged and sustained lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS).
Trial of Anti-BDCA2 Antibody Litifilimab for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
N Engl J Med. 2022;387(10):894–904 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2118025
Phase 2 study, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, shows that litifilimab is associated with a greater reduction from baseline in the number of swollen and tender joints than placebo, over a period of 24 weeks.
Trial of Anti-BDCA2 Antibody Litifilimab for Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
N Engl J Med. 2022;387(4):321–331 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2118024
Phase II study, in patients with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus, shows that litifilimab improved scores on a measure of skin disease activity, over 16 weeks, compared to placebo.
Concordance and discordance in SLE clinical trial outcome measures: analysis of three anifrolumab phase 2/3 trials
Ann Rheum Dis 2022;81:962–969 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221847
Bruce, et al. investigate the degree of concordance between BICLA and SRI-4 response across anifrolumab trials (TULIP-1, TULIP-2 and MUSE) in order to better understand drivers of discrepant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) trial results.