A Study of Belimumab in Subjects With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and impact on quality of life of two different doses of belimumab administered in addition to standard therapy in subjects with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease.

Timeline

Start

2006-12

Primary completion

2009-09

Completion

2010-03

Publications

• Botto J, Cetrez N, Nikolopoulos D, Regardt M, Heintz E, Lindblom J, Parodis I. Predicting EQ-5D full health state in systemic lupus erythematosus using machine learning algorithms. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2025 Apr 18;9(2):rkaf032. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkaf032. eCollection 2025.
• Parodis I, Lindblom J, Levy RA, Zen M, Cetrez N, Gomez A, Oon S, Henning C, Khamashta M, Quasny HA, Chauhan D, Askanase A, van Vollenhoven R, Nikpour M. Attainment of remission and low disease activity after treatment with belimumab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from five randomised clinical trials. Lancet Rheumatol. 2024 Nov;6(11):e751-e761. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00162-0. Epub 2024 Aug 26.
• Nikolopoulos D, Cetrez N, Lindblom J, Parodis I. Neuropsychiatric involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus contributes to organ damage beyond the nervous system: a post-hoc analysis of 5 phase III randomized clinical trials. Rheumatol Int. 2024 Sep;44(9):1679-1689. doi: 10.1007/s00296-024-05667-5. Epub 2024 Aug 8.
• Arends EJ, Zlei M, Tipton CM, Cotic J, Osmani Z, de Bie FJ, Kamerling SWA, van Maurik A, Dimelow R, Gregan YI, Fox NL, Rabelink TJ, Roth DA, Sanz I, van Dongen JJM, van Kooten C, Teng YKO. Disruption of memory B-cell trafficking by belimumab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024 Sep 1;63(9):2387-2398. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae286.
• Rendas-Baum R, Chen WH, Gairy K, Anderson S, Henning C, Hammer A, Kosinski M. SF-36v2 and FACIT-Fatigue quality of life improvements with organ-specific SELENA-SLEDAI response and belimumab treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus Sci Med. 2024 May 8;11(1):e001118. doi: 10.1136/lupus-2023-001118.
• Jesus D, Henriques C, Matos A, Doria A, Ines LS. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score Remission and Low Disease Activity States Discriminate Drug From Placebo and Better Health-Related Quality of Life. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Jun;76(6):788-795. doi: 10.1002/acr.25305. Epub 2024 Feb 29.
• Jagerback S, Gomez A, Parodis I. Predictors of renal flares in systemic lupus erythematosus: a post-hoc analysis of four phase III clinical trials of belimumab. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025 Feb 1;64(2):623-631. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae023.
• Gomez A, Jagerback S, Sjowall C, Parodis I. Belimumab and antimalarials combined against renal flares in patients treated for extra-renal systemic lupus erythematosus: results from 4 phase III clinical trials. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024 Feb 1;63(2):338-348. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead253.
• Emamikia S, Oon S, Gomez A, Lindblom J, Borg A, Enman Y, Morand E, Grannas D, van Vollenhoven RF, Nikpour M, Parodis I. Impact of remission and low disease activity on health-related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 Nov 28;61(12):4752-4762. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac185.
• Gupta SV, Fanget MC, MacLauchlin C, Clausen VA, Li J, Cloutier D, Shen L, Robbie GJ, Mogalian E. Clinical and Preclinical Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of VIR-2218, an RNAi Therapeutic Targeting HBV Infection. Drugs R D. 2021 Dec;21(4):455-465. doi: 10.1007/s40268-021-00369-w. Epub 2021 Nov 6.
• Zhou X, Lee TI, Zhu M, Ma P. Prediction of Belimumab Pharmacokinetics in Chinese Pediatric Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Drugs R D. 2021 Dec;21(4):407-417. doi: 10.1007/s40268-021-00363-2. Epub 2021 Oct 9.
• Brunner HI, Abud-Mendoza C, Mori M, Pilkington CA, Syed R, Takei S, Viola DO, Furie RA, Navarra S, Zhang F, Bass DL, Eriksson G, Hammer AE, Ji BN, Okily M, Roth DA, Quasny H, Ruperto N. Efficacy and safety of belimumab in paediatric and adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: an across-study comparison. RMD Open. 2021 Sep;7(3):e001747. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-001747.
• Rendas-Baum R, Baranwal N, Joshi AV, Park J, Kosinski M. Psychometric properties of FACIT-Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus: a pooled analysis of three phase 3 randomised, double-blind, parallel-group controlled studies (BLISS-SC, BLISS-52, BLISS-76). J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2021 Apr 8;5(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s41687-021-00298-x.
• Maslen T, Bruce IN, D'Cruz D, Ianosev M, Bass DL, Wilkinson C, Roth DA. Efficacy of belimumab in two serologically distinct high disease activity subgroups of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: post-hoc analysis of data from the phase III programme. Lupus Sci Med. 2021 Feb;8(1):e000459. doi: 10.1136/lupus-2020-000459.
• Gomez A, Hani Butrus F, Johansson P, Akerstrom E, Soukka S, Emamikia S, Enman Y, Pettersson S, Parodis I. Impact of overweight and obesity on patient-reported health-related quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Mar 2;60(3):1260-1272. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa453.
• van Vollenhoven RF, Navarra SV, Levy RA, Thomas M, Heath A, Lustine T, Adamkovic A, Fettiplace J, Wang ML, Ji B, Roth D. Long-term safety and limited organ damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with belimumab: a Phase III study extension. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020 Feb 1;59(2):281-291. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kez279.
• Furie RA, Wallace DJ, Aranow C, Fettiplace J, Wilson B, Mistry P, Roth DA, Gordon D. Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Belimumab in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Continuation of a Seventy-Six-Week Phase III Parent Study in the United States. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Jun;70(6):868-877. doi: 10.1002/art.40439. Epub 2018 Apr 25.
• Furie R, Petri MA, Strand V, Gladman DD, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth WW; BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 Study Groups. Clinical, laboratory and health-related quality of life correlates of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Responder Index response: a post hoc analysis of the phase 3 belimumab trials. Lupus Sci Med. 2014 Jun 26;1(1):e000031. doi: 10.1136/lupus-2014-000031. eCollection 2014.
• Petri MA, van Vollenhoven RF, Buyon J, Levy RA, Navarra SV, Cervera R, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth WW; BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 Study Groups. Baseline predictors of systemic lupus erythematosus flares: data from the combined placebo groups in the phase III belimumab trials. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Aug;65(8):2143-53. doi: 10.1002/art.37995.
• Strand V, Levy RA, Cervera R, Petri MA, Birch H, Freimuth WW, Zhong ZJ, Clarke AE; BLISS-52 and -76 Study Groups. Improvements in health-related quality of life with belimumab, a B-lymphocyte stimulator-specific inhibitor, in patients with autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus from the randomised controlled BLISS trials. Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 May;73(5):838-44. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202865. Epub 2013 Mar 22.
• Wallace DJ, Navarra S, Petri MA, Gallacher A, Thomas M, Furie R, Levy RA, van Vollenhoven RF, Cooper S, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth W, Cervera R; BLISS-52 and -76, and LBSL02 Study Groups. Safety profile of belimumab: pooled data from placebo-controlled phase 2 and 3 studies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus. 2013 Feb;22(2):144-54. doi: 10.1177/0961203312469259. Epub 2012 Dec 4.
• Chatham WW, Wallace DJ, Stohl W, Latinis KM, Manzi S, McCune WJ, Tegzova D, McKay JD, Avila-Armengol HE, Utset TO, Zhong ZJ, Hough DR, Freimuth WW, Migone TS; BLISS-76 Study Group. Effect of belimumab on vaccine antigen antibodies to influenza, pneumococcal, and tetanus vaccines in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the BLISS-76 trial. J Rheumatol. 2012 Aug;39(8):1632-40. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.111587. Epub 2012 Jun 15.
• van Vollenhoven RF, Petri MA, Cervera R, Roth DA, Ji BN, Kleoudis CS, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth W. Belimumab in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: high disease activity predictors of response. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012 Aug;71(8):1343-9. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200937. Epub 2012 Feb 15.
• Stohl W, Hiepe F, Latinis KM, Thomas M, Scheinberg MA, Clarke A, Aranow C, Wellborne FR, Abud-Mendoza C, Hough DR, Pineda L, Migone TS, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth WW, Chatham WW; BLISS-52 Study Group; BLISS-76 Study Group. Belimumab reduces autoantibodies, normalizes low complement levels, and reduces select B cell populations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2012 Jul;64(7):2328-37. doi: 10.1002/art.34400.
• Furie R, Petri M, Zamani O, Cervera R, Wallace DJ, Tegzova D, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Schwarting A, Merrill JT, Chatham WW, Stohl W, Ginzler EM, Hough DR, Zhong ZJ, Freimuth W, van Vollenhoven RF; BLISS-76 Study Group. A phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled study of belimumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits B lymphocyte stimulator, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Dec;63(12):3918-30. doi: 10.1002/art.30613.

Drugs

Indications