Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
March 2025
Evolution and trajectory of B-cell targeted therapies in rheumatic diseases
Lancet Rheumatol, 2025. Epub ahead of print
Carter et al. review the clinical and mechanistic development of B-cell targeted therapies over the last two decades in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. B-cell depletion depth, repopulation dynamics, and immunogenicity determine long-term efficacy and inform the rationale for emerging
dual-targeted approaches, particularly in systemic lupus erythematosus where belimumab and rituximab combinations show potential to mitigate relapse driven by BAFF.
February 2025
Opportunities and limitations of B bell depletion approaches in SLE
Nature Review Rheumatol, 2025;21:111–126 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-024-01210-9
Stockfelt et al. reviewed the long-term efficacy and challenges of B cell depletion strategies in SLE. Rituximab, a CD20-targeting monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated efficacy in a subset of patients but remains limited by immunogenicity, residual B cells, and B-cell activating factor (BAFF)-mediated relapse. Newer strategies incorporating CAR T cells, bispecific T cell engagers, and combination therapies aim to enhance B cell depletion and optimise outcomes.
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October 2024
ANA-associated arthritis: clinical and biomarker characterization of a population for basket trials
Rheumatol 2024 2024;00:1–11 DOI 10.1093/rheumatology/keae269
Arnold et al. assessed musculoskeletal (MSK) inflammation in ANA-associated rheumatic diseases (RMDs) and redefined ANA-associated arthritis into two distinct multi-disease clusters based on disease activity, which may support a more targeted approach to treatment. The authors confirmed that MSK inflammation is a key feature across diagnoses and responded similarly to treatments.
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April 2024
Type I interferon blockade with anifrolumab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus modulates key immunopathological pathways in a gene expression and proteomic analysis of two Phase 3 trials
Ann Rheum Dis 2024 DOI 10.1136/ard-2023-225445 Epub ahead of print https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38569851/
Type I IFN blockade with anifrolumab modulated multiple inflammatory pathways downstream of type I IFN signalling.
November 2023
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.
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April 2023
Rapid Efficacy of Anifrolumab Across Multiple Subtypes of Recalcitrant Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Parallels Changes in Discrete Subsets of Blood Transcriptomic and Cellular Biomarkers
Br J Dermatol. 2023 doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljad089
Prospective single-centre study of anifrolumab in refractory mucocutaneous SLE, indicates rapid efficacy of anifrolumab in discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and rituximab-resistant CLE.
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March 2023
2022 EULAR points to consider for the measurement, reporting and application of IFN-I pathway activation assays in clinical research and practice
Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 doi: 10.1136/ard-2022-223628
The first EULAR-endorsed points to consider (PtC) for the measurement and reporting of IFN-I assays in clinical research and practice are developed.
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.
Efficacy of anifrolumab across organ domains in patients with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus: a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from the TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 trials
Lancet Rheumatol. Published online February 3, 2022
Across two pivotal phase 3 trials (TULIP-1 and TULIP-2), anifrolumab treatment improved systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity across multiple organ domains, compared with placebo.
Easy-BILAG: a new tool for simplified recording of SLE disease activity using BILAG-2004 index
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab883
Easy-BILAG is a high-accuracy, time-efficient tool for recording BILAG-2004 disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Disease activity measurements in SLE are necessary for optimal patient care, treat-to-target approaches and clinical guidelines. However, administrative burden and potential frequency of errors with the current comprehensive disease activity instrument (BILAG-2004) limits its use in routine practice.