A rheumatologist & lupus expert reviews lupus nephritis treatment, questioning proteinuria cutoffs & ACR guidelines, advocating for newer therapies & end-of-treatment biopsies.
FDA Approvals: Lupus Nephritis
Lupus nephritis is one of the leading causes of mortality for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and patients with both SLE and end-stage renal disease have standardized mortality ratios more than 60 times that of patients with SLE with normal kidney function.1 The good news: Rheumatologists now have not one, but two approved options…
Belimumab Promising for Children with Lupus Nephritis
In late July 2022, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved belimumab (Benlysta) for the treatment of children with active lupus nephritis aged 5 to 17 years old receiving standard therapy.1 Despite recent advances in treatment options for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), those with kidney involvement may develop endstage renal disease and…
Rheumatology Medications with Limited Safety Data: How Do We Use Them in Pregnant Patients?
How does a rheumatologist treat a pregnant woman when many medications are not approved for pregnancy or safety data are limited?
Belimumab Promising for Children with Lupus Nephritis
Belimumab is now FDA approved to treat children aged 5 years and older with active lupus nephritis, providing treatment options for pediatric patients at risk of developing renal damage.
What’s New in SLE: Pathogenesis & Novel Therapies
Thomas Dörner, MD, reviewed the current state of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) management, providing updates on novel therapies and insights into the pathogenesis of SLE.
Difficult-to-Treat Lupus: When & How to Use New Therapies
Clinicians have numerous treatment options for SLE; in a EULAR 2022 session, some of the newer therapies were reviewed.
The Great Debate: Belimumab vs. Voclosporin in Lupus Nephritis
ACR Convergence 2021—The Great Debate at the meeting sparked a thoughtful discussion on the future of lupus nephritis treatment strategies, with experts saying clinicians should be open to new ways of approaching patient care. In the past year, approvals of the monoclonal antibody belimumab and the calcineurin inhibitor voclosporin for use in lupus nephritis (when…
A 2021 Update on Lupus Management & Treatment
At the 2021 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Saira Sheikh, MD, associate professor of Medicine and director of the Rheumatology Lupus Clinic, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, provided an update on the past, present and future of the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This year, hydroxychloroquine received a great deal of attention, given early…
FDA Approves Belimumab & Voclosporin for Lupus Nephritis
In December, the FDA approved belimumab, the first drug approved to treat lupus nephritis, an historic action that was rapidly followed in January by the approval of a second treatment for lupus nephritis, voclosporin.