Expert review of clinical immunology
-
Expert Rev Clin Immunol · Feb 2015
ReviewTeriflunomide for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Teriflunomide, a once-daily, oral disease-modifying therapy, is a valuable new treatment option for the management of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. This article reviews key efficacy and safety data arising from pivotal teriflunomide studies that demonstrate the utility in treating both treatment-naïve patients and those previously treated with another disease-modifying therapy who, for a variety of reasons, may require an alternative treatment.
-
Expert Rev Clin Immunol · Feb 2015
ReviewBelimumab for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Given their pivotal role in autoantibody production, B-cells have become an attractive therapeutic target in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Belimumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), a B-cell survival factor, was licensed in 2011 for the treatment of autoantibody-positive SLE. The BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 Phase III trials successfully demonstrated that belimumab (10 mg/kg) with standard therapy significantly decreased disease activity in SLE patients compared to placebo with standard therapy. ⋯ While the BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 studies are the largest clinical trials in SLE to date, they mainly focused on musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, hematologic and general constitutional features of the disease. Patients with severe lupus nephritis and severe central nervous system disease were excluded from these trials. Studies of belimumab in lupus nephritis are ongoing that may clarify the role of this agent in the clinical management of SLE.