Two-Year, Randomised, Controlled Trial of Belimumab in Lupus Nephritis
N Engl J Med. 2020;383(12):1117–28.
LN occurs in 25–60% of patients with SLE. However, patients with LN are often excluded from clinical trials of SLE therapies.
This long-term, Phase 3 trial looked at the efficacy and safety of belimumab plus standard of care versus placebo plus standard of care in patients with biopsy-proven, active lupus nephritis. At Week 104, significantly more patients in the belimumab group had a renal response versus the placebo group. Additionally, renal-related events and deaths were less likely in the belimumab group than the placebo group.