Research in Brief

Telitacicept, a novel fusion protein that targets B cell activity, might be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a phase 2b, double-blind trial by Di Wu and colleagues. 249 adults with active SLE from 29 hospitals in China were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to receive 80 mg (n=62), 160 mg (n=63), or 240 mg (n=62) subcutaneous telitacicept or placebo (n=62) once weekly, in addition to standard therapy, for 48 weeks. At week 48, 21 (33·9%) patients in the placebo group had an SLE Responder Index 4 (SRI-4) response (the primary outcome), compared with 44 (71·0%) on 80 mg telitacicept, 43 (68·3%) on 160 mg telitacicept, and 47 (75·8%) on 240 mg telitacicept (all p<0·001).