Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
June 2023
Belimumab and antimalarials combined against renal flares in patients treated for extra-renal systemic lupus erythematosus: results from 4 phase III clinical trials
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023;63(2):338–48 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead253
The protection conferred from belimumab against renal flare development in patients treated for extra-renal SLE appears enhanced when administered along with antimalarials (AMA).
Clinical and biomarker responses to BI 655064, an antagonistic anti-CD40 antibody, in patients with active lupus nephritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II trial
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023;75(11):1983–93 doi: 10.1002/art.42557.
This phase II study of BI 655064 in patients with active LN did not meet the primary endpoint of CRR at Week 52, however, post-hoc analyses suggest a potential benefit of BI 655064 180 mg in patients with active LN.
Remission of Lupus Nephritis: The Trajectory of Histological Response in Successfully Treated Patients
Lupus Sci Med. 2023;10(1):e000932 doi: 10.1136/lupus-2023-000932
LN histological activity takes months to years to resolve, providing a rationale for the need of long-term, well-tolerated maintenance immunosuppression.
March 2023
Baricitinib for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled, Phase 3 trial (SLE-BRAVE-II)
Lancet. 2023 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02546-6
Negative results of SLE-BRAVE-II trial show that evidence for the efficacy of baricitinib in SLE is inconclusive.
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.
January 2023
New Biologics and Targeted Therapies in Systemic Lupus: From New Molecular Targets to New Indications. A Systematic Review
Joint Bone Spine. 2023.
Systematic review of new biologics and targeted therapies in systemic lupus identifies a highly diversified pipeline of investigational drugs that will hopefully enable a more optimal treat-to-target strategy.
February 2023
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).
January 2023
Efficacy and Safety of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Evobrutinib in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results of a Phase II, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Dose-Ranging Trial
ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023;5(1):38–48 doi: 10.1002/acr2.11511
Results of a phase II trial of evobrutinib suggest that Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibition is not an efficacious therapeutic intervention over standard of care therapy for patients with SLE.
December 2022
Low-dose Interleukin-2 Therapy in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (LUPIL-2): A Multicentre, Double-blind, Randomised and Placebo-controlled Phase II Trial
Ann Rheum Dis. 2022;81:1685–1694
Phase II proof-of-concept trial confirms that low-dose IL-2 therapy can safely and selectively expand the Treg population, and is capable of reducing disease activity in patients with SLE.
A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase III Extension Trial of the Long-Term Safety and Tolerability of Anifrolumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1002/art.42392
Long-term extension study shows an acceptable long-term safety profile of anifrolumab in SLE, in addition to sustained improvements in disease activity and reduction in glucocorticoid use.