Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation in joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. About 1.5 million Americans have lupus, most of them women of childbearing age. Current treatment includes hydroxychloroquine, steroids, immunosuppressants, and the biologic belimumab, but many people still struggle with flares and organ damage.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new biologics that target specific immune pathways, including drugs that block type I interferon and B-cell activating factor. Researchers are studying combination therapies, treatments for lupus nephritis that spare kidney function, and targeted drugs for skin and joint symptoms. Several trials focus on reducing steroid use while controlling disease activity.
Type I interferon blockers
Anifrolumab was FDA-approved in 2021 and blocks interferon, a protein that drives lupus in many patients. Other interferon blockers are in trials to see if they work for different patient groups or organ involvement.
Lupus nephritis therapies
Voclosporin was FDA-approved in 2021 and is being studied in combination trials for kidney inflammation. New drugs aim to protect kidney function while avoiding high-dose steroids.
B-cell targeted therapies
Beyond belimumab, trials are testing drugs that deplete or modulate B cells in different ways. Some target the same pathway as belimumab but work faster or last longer.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease activity level, organ involvement (especially kidneys), autoantibody profile, and whether you've tried standard treatments like hydroxychloroquine or immunosuppressants.
What types of trials are currently open
- Biologic trials — Testing new antibody drugs that target specific immune cells or proteins driving lupus inflammation.
- Lupus nephritis trials — Testing treatments for kidney inflammation, often combining new drugs with standard therapy to see if they preserve kidney function better.
- Steroid-sparing trials — Testing whether new drugs can control lupus while allowing people to reduce or stop prednisone.
- Skin and joint trials — Testing treatments specifically for lupus rash, joint pain, and fatigue when standard drugs aren't enough.
- Registry studies — Following people with lupus over time to learn what predicts flares, organ damage, and response to different treatments.
Recently added LUPUS trials
Take a drug to treat lupus-related platelet problems
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if sirolimus, added to standard background therapy (corticosteroids and hydroxychloroquine), works to treat systemic lupus erythematosus-associated immune thrombocytopenia (SLE-ITP) in adults aged 18 to 65 years. The study also aims to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of sirolimus over 48 weeks. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does sirolimus increase the overall response rate (complete or partial remission of thrombocytopenia) at 24 weeks compared with placebo? 2. The safety issues when taking sirolimus over 24 weeks (Phase 1) and up to 48 weeks (Phase 2). 3. How long does the treatment effect last, and what is the relapse rate during open-label extension? In Phase 1 (first 24 weeks), researchers will compare sirolimus to a placebo (an identical-looking capsule containing no active drug) to see if sirolimus works to treat SLE-ITP when both groups also receive standardized prednisone and hydroxychloroquine. In Phase 2 (weeks 24 to 48), all participants will receive open-label sirolimus to assess long-term efficacy and safety. Participants will: 1. Phase 1: Take sirolimus (1.5 mg once daily) or a placebo for 24 weeks, plus standardized prednisone (tapered according to protocol) and hydroxychloroquine (0.4 g daily) 2. Phase 2: After completing Phase 1, take open-label sirolimus (1.5 mg once daily) for an additional 24 weeks, continuing stable or tapering doses of prednisone and hydroxychloroquine 3. Visit the clinic at screening, baseline, weeks 4, 12, 24 (end of Phase 1), and then at weeks 28, 36, and 48 (end of Phase 2) for checkups, blood tests, and disease activity assessments 4. Receive telephone follow-ups at weeks 8, 16, 20, 32, 40, and 44 to report platelet counts, medication adherence, and adverse events
Share your vaccine response data after receiving shingles vaccine
The goal of this observational study is to compare the vaccine response to the 2 doses of the adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine(HZ/su, "Shingrix") in patients with SLE and the age-, sex-, ethnicity-matched controls without autoimmune disease.
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