Long Term Effectiveness of Anifrolumab in Managing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
Translated by Nhi Phuong Quynh Le, B.A |
Posted on January 5th, 2026
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Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which B-cells generate antibodies targeting protein endogenous to the host. Previous studies had found anifrolumab can reduce disease severity and inflammation by blocking the type I interferon signaling pathway. A long-term study on the effectiveness of anifrolumab, sponsored by AstraZeneca, had recently published its findings in the Lancet.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 369 participants who experienced lupus symptoms at a moderate to severe level. Around 80% of the patients used glucocorticoid to treat their condition. The patients were randomly assigned to be treated with placebo or 300 mg of anifrolumab every 4 weeks. After a 4-year follow-up period, the researchers found that patients using anifrolumab in addition to less than 5 mg of glucocorticoid daily reported clinical improvement using the SF-36v2 criteria. To be specific, the improvement is specific for the patient's physical pain. Assessment with other scales like SF-6D and EQ-5D-5L VAS also showed slight clinical improvement. However, the author did not perform statistical analysis on these comparisons; this lack of clarity lowered the significance of the reported clinical benefit. This form of long term observational study offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of medication. However, future studies should include more participants to make statistical analysis viable and perform additional clinical assessment beyond patient-reported outcomes.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 369 participants who experienced lupus symptoms at a moderate to severe level. Around 80% of the patients used glucocorticoid to treat their condition. The patients were randomly assigned to be treated with placebo or 300 mg of anifrolumab every 4 weeks. After a 4-year follow-up period, the researchers found that patients using anifrolumab in addition to less than 5 mg of glucocorticoid daily reported clinical improvement using the SF-36v2 criteria. To be specific, the improvement is specific for the patient's physical pain. Assessment with other scales like SF-6D and EQ-5D-5L VAS also showed slight clinical improvement. However, the author did not perform statistical analysis on these comparisons; this lack of clarity lowered the significance of the reported clinical benefit. This form of long term observational study offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of medication. However, future studies should include more participants to make statistical analysis viable and perform additional clinical assessment beyond patient-reported outcomes.