Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
CAR T cell therapy efficacy and safety in SLE: A systematic review and pooled analysis of 47 patients across 10 studies
Doi: 10.1007/s00210-025-04425-z
Sayed OA et al. reported that CAR T cell therapy showed promise in refractory SLE, achieving durable remission with manageable toxicity; however further trials are needed to confirm long-term outcomes. Authors consolidated the current evidence on CAR T cell therapy in the treatment of SLE.
Efficacy, pharmacokinetics and safety of iscalimab (CFZ533) in patients with proliferative lupus nephritis: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase II study
RMD Open 2025;11:e005557 Doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005557
Shen N et al. report that iscalimab was clinically effective and generally well tolerated; in addition, it was devoid of the thromboembolic risk, characteristic of Fc active anti-CD40L therapies.
BCMA-targeted CAR T cell therapy can effectively induce disease remission in refractory lupus nephritis
Ann Rheum Dis 2025;0:1−9
Hu et al. report that anti-BCMA only CAR T cell can help LN patients safely and effectively, indicating its potential to be a feasible therapeutic strategy in treating autoimmune diseases with abnormal humoral immune responses.
Effect of long-term voclosporin treatment on renal histology in patients with active lupus nephritis with repeat renal biopsies
Arthritis & Rheumatology 2025; 0:1–7 doi: 10.1002/art.43209
Exposure to voclosporin for a median of 18 months was not associated with onset or progression of nephrotoxicity based on evaluation of histologic compartments and vascular lesions. Rovin et al. characterised the impact of voclosporin on kidney histology in patients with LN who had protocolized repeat kidney biopsies in the AURORA clinical trials.
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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.
Belimumab versus telitacicept in sequential treatment after rituximab for refractory lupus nephritis: A real-world multicentre study
Lupus Science & Medicine, 2025;12:e001296 DOI:10.1136/lupus-2024-001296
Chen et al. demonstrated that sequential treatment with belimumab or telitacicept following rituximab (RTX) is a potential therapeutic approach for treating refractory LN. Major AEs included immunoglobin deficiency, respiratory tract infections and urinary tract infections, which are consistent with previous studies.
Comparison of a voclosporin-based triple immunosuppressive therapy to high-dose glucocorticoid-based immunosuppressive therapy: A propensity analysis of the AURA-LV and AURORA 1 studies and ALMS
Lupus Science & Medicine 2024;11:e001319 DOI: 10.1136/lupus-2024-001319
Dall’Era et al. conducted a propensity analysis to compare voclosporin-based triple immunosuppressive therapy with high-dose GC-based regimens for active LN. Voclosporin showed fewer AEs, improved safety, and significantly reduced proteinuria over six months, suggesting a superior risk-benefit profile for patients with lupus nephritis.
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Cenerimod, a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator, versus placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus (CARE): an international, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
Lancet Rheumatol. 2024. Epub ahead of print. DOI: 10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00246-7
Askanase et al. assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of cenerimod in patients with moderate-to-severe SLE. While the primary endpoint of reducing mSLEDAI-2K scores at Month 6 was not achieved, cenerimod 4.0mg showed a significant reduction in disease activity versus placebo. Adverse events, including lymphopenia, were dose-dependent but manageable, and overall treatment was well tolerated.
Efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors for the primary prevention of cardiovascular, renal events and safety outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and comorbid type 2 diabetes: A population-based target trial emulation
Arthritis Rheumatol 2024. Epub ahead of print DOI: 10.1002/art.43037
Ma et al. assessed the efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) compared with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i) in preventing cardiovascular and renal events in patients with both SLE and type 2 diabetes (T2D). SGLT2i use significantly reduced risks for acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and heart failure, though it increased genital infection risk.
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Effect of iberdomide on cutaneous manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomized phase 2 clinical trial
JAAD. 2024. Epub ahead of print DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.09.074
Werth et al. demonstrated that iberdomide significantly improved cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) outcomes, particularly in subacute and chronic CLE patients, by reducing Cutaneous Lupus Area and Severity Index Activity (CLASI-A) scores. The study showed continued efficacy through 24 weeks, with the 0.45 mg dose providing the greatest improvement in patients with severe baseline scores, and iberdomide was well-tolerated over 104 weeks.