United States: Lupus patients experience permanent organ damage because the inflammation caused by lupus impacts their lungs, kidneys, heart, and liver. However, according to this research, newer lupus medication is highly effective in defending patients from organ damage.
The latest research in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases shows that Saphnelo (anifrolumab) prevents organ damage progression in moderately to severely active lupus patients at a 60 percent rate.
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According to the team lead, Dr. Zahi Touma, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, “Anifrolumab plus standard of care (SOC) is effective at reducing organ damage accumulation and prolonging time to organ damage progression compared to SOC alone over 4 years,” US News reported.
Patient treatment for lupus consists of steroid medications as well as antimalarials together with immunosuppressants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as researchers specify in background details.
Research denotes that these medications cannot prevent organ damage in patients with lupus while potentially causing additional harm to body tissues.
Researchers chose to evaluate the effectiveness of adding nivolumab to standard lupus treatment medications that medical professionals have already administered to patients.
What more are the experts stating?
In 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anifrolumab for the therapy of systemic lupus erythematosus, which remains the leading type of lupus.
The drug anifolumab functions as a monoclonal antibody, which prevents the receptors for type 1 interferon from working to maintain inflammation based on researcher findings.
The medication is administered through IV drips as a monthly treatment, according to Drugs.com.
Researchers designed their study by giving anifrolumab to 354 lupus patients while providing usual care to 561 additional patients.
All patients studied in the clinical trials that led to anifrolumab obtaining US approval took part in the research, US News reported.
The research indicated that patients using anifrolumab demonstrated a 0.43-point decrease in the lupus organ damage tracking index.
Studies link a score increase of 1 point to a 34 percent elevation in premature death possibility among lupus patients, according to previous research findings.
Research showed that patients taking anifrolumab faced a 61 percent reduced chance of deteriorating organ health.