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Inside The Lupus Pipeline: Reasons For Optimism

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Several drugs for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis are in mid-to-late stage development, which could pave the way for new treatments for a disease with few options. Experts say they are energized by the amount of investment in lupus R&D.

Medecine concept - Blackboard with text "Lupus", book, pills and stethoscope on blue wooden background

The lupus drug development landscape is showing signs of renewal after a string of disappointments, with several new drugs for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) moving through mid-to-late stage development. Big pharmas like AstraZeneca PLC, Johnson & Johnson and Roche's Genentech Inc., as well as smaller companies like Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. are pushing ahead in lupus, despite considerable challenges.

"From my perspective, this is the best time ever for development of new therapies for lupus," Lupus Foundation of America CEO Sandra Raymond said in an interview. "I would say that right now there is probably over $1bn and closer to $2bn being spent in this field

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