BRIEF—Long-term analysis shows efficacy of Benlysta in lupus

London-based GlaxoSmithKline has announced results from a study of lupus patients treated with Benlysta (belimumab) plus standard of care (SoC) versus SoC alone.

The trial compared enrollees in the BLISS-76 extension study with an external cohort.

The company says the data, presented at the ACR/ARHP annual meeting in San Diego, show the test group had significantly less organ damage over five years.

For any given year of follow-up, patients receiving Benlysta plus SoC were 61% less likely to progress to a higher SDI score, a commonly-used measure of organ damage.

The safety profile was consistent with previous data from the BLISS program.