This prespecified subgroup evaluation of East Asian adults who participated in a phase 3 clinical trial of belimumab added to straightforward therapy vs. placebo added to straightforward therapy for lupus nephritis shows earlier and more sustained improvement in kidney outcomes with the addition of belimumab.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe complication of the kidneys in patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus. Belimumab is used together with standard therapy for treatment of patients with LN. As data on belimumab treatment of East Asian patients with LN are limited, researchers assessed the efficacy and safety of belimumab in a subgroup of East Asian patients from the BLISS-LN, a randomized controlled trial. Patients received monthly belimumab or placebo as well as to straightforward therapy.

After 104 weeks, patients who received belimumab showed earlier and more sustained improvements in kidney outcomes compared with patients who received placebo, while no recent safety concerns were raised. These results recently published within the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) support using belimumab treatment for East Asian patients with LN.

Source:

National Kidney Foundation

Journal reference:

10.1053/j.ajkd.2022.06.013