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Objective: The 48‐week, phase 2 SLEek study (NCT03978520) evaluated the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib (JAK inhibitor) and elsubrutinib (BTK inhibitor) alone or in combination (ABBV‐599) in adults with moderately to severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1:1:1:1 to elsubrutinib 60 mg and upadacitinib 30 mg once daily (ABBV‐599 high dose), elsubrutinib 60 mg and upadacitinib 15 mg once daily (ABBV‐599 low dose), elsubrutinib 60 mg once daily (QD), upadacitinib 30 mg QD, or placebo QD. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving both Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Responder Index 4 (SRI‐4) and glucocorticoid dose ≤10 mg QD at week 24. Additional assessments through week 48 included British Isles Lupus Assessment Group‐Based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) and Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) responses, number of flares, time to first flare, and adverse events. Results: The study enrolled 341 patients. The ABBV‐599 low dose and elsubrutinib arms were discontinued after a planned interim analysis showed lack of efficacy (no safety concerns). More patients achieved the primary endpoint with upadacitinib (54.8%; P = 0.028) and ABBV‐599 high dose (48.5%; P = 0.081) versus placebo (37.3%). SRI‐4, BICLA, and LLDAS response rates were higher for both upadacitinib and ABBV‐599 high dose versus placebo at weeks 24 and 48. Flares were reduced, and time to first flare through week 48 was substantially delayed with both upadacitinib and ABBV‐599 high dose versus placebo. No new safety signals were observed beyond those previously reported for upadacitinib or elsubrutinib. Conclusion: Upadacitinib 30 mg alone or in combination with elsubrutinib (ABBV‐599 high dose) demonstrated significant improvements in SLE disease activity and reduced flares and were well tolerated through 48 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given fibromyalgia (FM) frequently co‐occurs with autoimmune disease, this study was initiated to objectively evaluate FM in a multiracial/ethnic cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: Patients with SLE were screened for FM using the 2016 FM classification criteria during an in‐person rheumatologist visit. We evaluated hybrid Safety of Estrogens in Lupus National Assessment (SELENA)‐SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores, SLE classification criteria, and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index. We compared patients with and without FM and if differences were present, compared patients with FM with patients with non‐FM related chronic pain. Results: 316 patients with SLE completed the FM questionnaire. 55 (17.4%) met criteria for FM. The racial composition of patients with FM differed from those without FM (P = 0.023), driven by fewer Asian patients having FM. There was no difference in SLE disease duration, SELENA‐SLEDAI score, or active serologies. There was more active arthritis in the FM group (16.4%) versus the non‐FM group (1.9%) (P < 0.001). The Widespread Pain Index and Symptom Severity Score did not correlate with degree of SLE activity (r = −0.016; 0.107) among patients with FM or non‐FM chronic pain (r = 0.009; −0.024). Regarding criteria, patients with FM had less nephritis and more malar rash. Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index did not differ between groups. Conclusion: Except for arthritis, patients with SLE with FM are not otherwise clinically or serologically distinguishable from those without FM, and Widespread Pain Index and Symptom Severity Score indices do not correlate with SLEDAI. These observations support the importance of further understanding the underlying biology of FM in SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: AURORA 2 evaluated the long‐term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of voclosporin compared to placebo in patients with lupus nephritis (LN) receiving an additional two years of treatment following completion of the one‐year AURORA 1 study. Methods: Enrolled patients continued their double‐blinded treatment of voclosporin or placebo randomly assigned in AURORA 1, in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and low‐dose glucocorticoids. The primary objective was safety assessed with adverse events (AEs) and biochemical and hematological assessments. Efficacy was measured by renal response. Results: A total of 216 patients enrolled in AURORA 2. Treatment was well tolerated with 86.1% completing the study and no unexpected safety signals. AEs occurred in 86% and 80% of patients in the voclosporin and control groups, respectively, with an AE profile similar to that seen in AURORA 1, albeit with reduced frequency. Investigator reported AEs of both glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decrease and hypertension occurred more frequently in the voclosporin than the control group (10.3% vs 5.0%, and 8.6% vs 7.0%, respectively). Mean corrected estimated GFR (eGFR) was within the normal range and stable in both treatment groups. eGFR slope over the two‐year period was −0.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% confidence interval [CI] −3.0 to 2.7) in the voclosporin group and −5.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI −8.4 to −2.3) in the control group. Improved proteinuria persisted across three years of treatment, leading to more frequent complete renal responses in patients treated with voclosporin (50.9% vs 39.0%; odds ratio 1.74; 95% CI 1.00–3.03). Conclusion: Data demonstrate the safety and efficacy of long‐term voclosporin treatment over three years of follow‐up in patients with LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Enrollment of patients of Black African ancestry with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in phase II and phase III of the belimumab trials was not reflective of the racial distribution observed in the lupus population. This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous (IV) belimumab plus standard therapy in patients of self‐identified Black race. Methods: EMBRACE (GSK Study BEL115471; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01632241) was a 52‐week multicenter, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in adults of self‐identified Black race with active SLE who received monthly belimumab 10 mg/kg IV, or placebo, plus standard therapy. The optional 26‐week open‐label extension phase included patients who completed the double‐blind phase. The primary end point of the study was SLE Responder Index (SRI) response rate at week 52 with modified proteinuria scoring adapted from the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI‐2K) (SRI–SLEDAI‐2K). Key secondary end points included SRI response rate at week 52, time to first severe SLE flare, and reductions in prednisone dose. Results: The modified intent‐to‐treat population comprised 448 patients, of whom 96.9% were women and the mean ± SD age was 38.8 ± 11.42 years. The primary end point (improvement in the SRI–SLEDAI‐2K response rate at week 52) was not achieved (belimumab 48.7%, placebo 41.6%; odds ratio 1.40 [95% confidence interval 0.93, 2.11], P = 0.1068); however, numerical improvements favoring belimumab were observed, in which the SRI–SLEDAI‐2K response rates were higher in those who received belimumab compared with those who received placebo, especially in patients with SLE who had high disease activity or renal manifestations at baseline. The safety profile of belimumab was generally consistent with that observed in previous SLE trials. Adverse events were the primary reasons for double‐blind phase withdrawals (belimumab 5.4%, placebo 6.7%). Conclusion: The primary end point of this study was not achieved, but improvement with belimumab versus placebo was observed, suggesting that belimumab remains a suitable treatment option for SLE management in patients of Black African ancestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]