Anifrolumab continues to come good in systemic lupus erythematosus

After a few disappointments in earlier clinical stages, a new post-hoc analysis of pooled data from the TULIP Phase III clinical trials being presented at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2021) showed anifrolumab was consistently associated with improvements in both skin rash and arthritis across three different disease measures each, compared to placebo, in patients with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The analysis examined disease manifestations in the two most commonly impacted organ domains in SLE.  UK pharma major AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) anifrolumab is a potential first-in-class type I interferon inhibitor, the company claims.

For skin rash, the difference in response rates for anifrolumab versus placebo at week 52 were 13.5% SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), 15.5% British Isles Lupus Assessment Group index (BILAG) and 15.6% modified Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (mCLASI). For arthritis, differences in response rates were 8.2% SLEDAI, 11.8% BILAG and 12.6% joint response.