Med Page Today reports that over the past dozen years, treatment approaches in lupus nephritis (LN) have changed substantially, and this is reflected in a long-awaited update to the American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) official guideline on the topic.

Whereas a two-step plan -- induction followed by maintenance therapy -- was called for in the ACR's last LN guideline, issued in 2012, medications introduced since then have prompted a "conceptual shift" in LN management, according to Lisa R. Sammaritano, MD, rheumatologist at HSS, and co-author of the new update.

With targeted drugs including the biologic agent belimumab (Benlysta) and the calcineurin inhibitor voclosporin (Lupkynis) now available, management now centers on early and continued use of combination treatment "targeting different arms of the immune system," the group explained.

Read the full article at medpagetoday.com.