Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
This activity is supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca.
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.
November 2022
Safety and Efficacy of Belimumab in Patients with Lupus Nephritis
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2022;17:1620–1630 doi: 10.2215/CJN.02520322
This 28-week, open-label extension of BLISS-LN found no new safety signals and maintained efficacy with belimumab, in patients with lupus nephritis.
July 2022
Weaning of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy in lupus nephritis (WIN-Lupus): results of a multicentre randomised controlled trial
Jourde-Chiche N, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022. Epub ahead of print. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2022-222435.
Non-inferiority of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy (IST) discontinuation after 2‒3 years was not demonstrated for renal relapse, in proliferative lupus nephritis (LN).
May 2022
High Systemic Type I Interferon Activity Is Associated with Active Class III/IV Lupus Nephritis
The Journal of Rheumatology 2022; 49:388–97 DOI 10.3899/jrheum.210391
Iwamoto, et al. aimed to determine the association of serum IFN activity with subtypes of lupus nephritis. This study suggests that systemic high type I IFN in SLE is involved in the pathogenesis of severe class III/IV LN and contributes to severe kidney involvement in European-American patients with SLE. However, this effect was independent of anti‑dsDNA antibody status and complement levels. Expression of type I IFN was not found to be clearly related to plasmacytoid dendritic cell infiltration, although it did directly stimulate podocytes to induce chemokines and molecules related to podocyte injury.
Impact of belimumab on organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2022 Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1002/acr.24901
Review of clinical trial and real-world data on the effects of belimumab on organ damage in adult patients with SLE shows that belimumab reduces key drivers of organ damage, decreases organ damage progression and, in those with lupus nephritis (LN), decreases renal-related events.
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March 2022
Long-Term Results of Triple Immunosuppression With Tacrolimus Added to Mycophenolate and Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis
Kidney Int Rep. 2021;7(3):516–25
Analysis of 22 patients with lupus nephritis (LN) demonstrates that triple immunosuppression with the addition of tacrolimus to mycophenolate and prednisolone results in further proteinuria reduction.
Phase II randomised trial of type I interferon inhibitor anifrolumab in patients with active lupus nephritis
Ann Rheum Dis. 2022;81(4):496–506 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221478
Despite not meeting the primary endpoint, this Phase II trial of anifrolumab in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) demonstrates that anifrolumab IR is associated with numerical improvements over placebo across endpoints – including complete renal response – in patients with active LN.
A secondary analysis of the Belimumab International Study in Lupus Nephritis trial examined effects of belimumab on kidney outcomes and preservation of kidney function in patients with lupus nephritis
Kidney Int. 2022;101(2):403-413 doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2021.08.027
Post-hoc analysis data suggests that the addition of belimumab to standard therapy may be effective in preserving long-term kidney function in patients with lupus nephritis (LN).