Newly reported from EULAR 2024 - Karen Costenbader, MD: Data Supports Belimumab as Treatment in Early Lupus
In the second part of an interview with HCPLive, Karen Costenbader, MD, director of the Lupus Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discusses the 2 post hoc analyses that demonstrated treatment with belimumab reduces flares and increases response rates among patients with early active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Findings were presented at the 2024 European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) conference.
Initially, some providers may have been hesitant to use belimumab early in the treatment of lupus. However, Costenbader was not and regularly prescribed the drug early in very sick patients. The recent data shows that belimumab is equally effective when used upfront, even in patients who haven’t received other immunosuppressants. This is significant because it suggests rheumatologists don’t need to cycle through less effective and more toxic medications first. One of the main outcomes of this approach is a reduction in flares, which decreases organ damage and improves quality of life.
Source: MDMag
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