New data shows benefit of lupus drug
MANHASSET, N.Y., Nov. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research Professor Richard Furie, MD, will publish and present data describing the clinical benefit of anifrolumab for patients with lupus in Lancet Rheumatology and at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Scientific Meeting.
Anifrolumab is a monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects 1.5 million Americans and causes the immune system to lose the ability to differentiate between foreign agents and healthy tissue, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. The immune system becomes hyperactive, attacking healthy tissue while causing inflammation and damage to joints, skin and internal organs. Patients experience a host of symptoms, from extreme fatigue to painful or swollen joints and skin rashes. Despite the rapid pace of research in immunology, most clinical trials aimed at discovering new therapies in lupus have failed, with only one new drug having been approved in the last five decades.
Dr. Furie led the Treatment of Uncontrolled Lupus via the Interferon Pathway (TULIP)-1 global phase 3 study, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of intravenous (IV) anifrolumab versus placebo in adults with moderate to severe, autoantibody-positive SLE who were receiving standard-of-care treatment. While the primary end point was not attained, post-hoc analyses suggested clinical benefit in those patients with severe rash or arthritis. A companion phase 3 study, TULIP-2, that achieved the primary end point will be presented on November 12.
"My patients' lives are negatively affected by lupus, and this community is devastated that it has been so difficult to bring new therapies to the market," said Dr. Furie, chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Northwell Health and professor at the Feinstein Institutes. "Let's hope that the totality of the phase 2 and 3 data will be looked upon favorably and provide the lupus community with an additional therapy."
The 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting is being held November 8-13 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Furie will describe the TULIP 1 data in an oral presentation at the meeting on November 11.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York. Home to 50 research labs, 2,500 clinical research studies and 4,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes is raising the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We're making breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we're producing knowledge to cure disease, visit feinstein.northwell.edu.
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SOURCE The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
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