Novel therapeutic agents in clinical development for systemic lupus erythematosus

• Published in: BMC medicine Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 120
• Main Authors: Jordan, Natasha, Lutalo, Pamela M K, D'Cruz, David P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 03.05.2013; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Angiogenesis Inhibitors - pharmacology; Angiogenesis Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Animals; Autoimmune diseases; B cells; B-Lymphocytes - drug effects; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Biological Factors - pharmacology; Biological Factors - therapeutic use; Biological products industry; Biological response modifiers; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Clinical Trials as Topic - trends; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Humans; Immune system; Immunosuppressive Agents - pharmacology; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Interferon; Kidney diseases; Lupus; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - diagnosis; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - drug therapy; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - immunology; Monoclonal antibodies; Mortality; Nephritis; Product development; Review; Systemic lupus erythematosus; T cells
• ISSN: 1741-7015; 1741-7015
• DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-11-120

Conventional immunosuppressive therapies have radically transformed patient survival in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but their use is associated with considerable toxicity and a substantial proportion of patients remain refractory to treatment. A more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of SLE immunopathogenesis has evolved over the past decade and has led to the testing of several biologic agents in clinical trials. There is a clear need for new therapeutic agents that overcome these issues, and biologic agents offer exciting prospects as future SLE therapies.An array of promising new therapies are currently emerging or are under development including B-cell depletion therapies, agents targeting B-cell survival factors, blockade of T-cell co-stimulation and anti-cytokine therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies against interleukin-6 and interferon-α.