Thought leaders indicate Benlysta has advantages over market leader CellCept for Lupus

Surveyed US rheumatologists and managed care organization (MCO) pharmacy directors agree that reducing disease activity is one of the attributes that most influences their decisions regarding prescribing and formulary status determinations, respectively, in moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), excluding severe active renal and severe active CNS manifestations.

Clinical data and the opinions of US thought leaders interviewed by health care advisory firm Decision Resources indicate that intravenous belimumab (Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline’s Benlysta) has advantages over sales-leading mycophenolate mofetil (Roche/Galenica’s CellCept, generics) on this attribute.

Decision Resources’ analysis of the SLE drug market also finds that, based on clinical data and the opinions of interviewed thought leaders, IV belimumab has earned Decision Resources’ proprietary clinical gold standard status for the treatment of SLE, owing to its strongest clinical profile among key marketed products that treat moderate to severe SLE. However, due to its competitive advantages in delivery, Human Genome Sciences/GlaxoSmithKline’s subcutaneous formulation of belimumab (SC belimumab) will displace IV belimumab and will earn proprietary clinical gold-standard status for moderate to severe SLE in 2015, following its launch for the indication that same year.