Anifrolumab


Anifrolumab is a monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. It binds to the type I interferon receptor, blocking the activity of type I interferons such as interferon-α and interferon-β.
The drug was developed by MedImmune, a unit of AstraZeneca, which chose to move anifrolumab instead of sifalimumab into phase III trials for lupus in 2015.

Clinical trial results

Anifrolumab failed to meet its endpoint of significant reduction in disease as assessed by the SLE Responder Index 4 instrument in the TULIP 1 phase III trial. This multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study followed adults with moderate to severe SLE over the course of one year. Preliminary results were announced on 31 August 2018.

Adverse effects

The most common adverse effect was shingles, which occurred in 5% of patients in the low-dose group, to 10% in the high-dose group, and to 2% in the placebo group. Overall adverse effect rates were comparable in all groups.