Philly Voice reports on the approval of anifrolumab (Saphnelo) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and highlights the instrumental groundwork for the drug development by HSS researchers Mary K. Crow, MD, physician-in-chief emerita, and Kyriakos A. Kirou, MD, DSc, FACP, rheumatologist and director of the Lupus Nephritis Program.

Dr. Crow’s laboratories confirmed the role of interferon in lupus, and she noted, “There were observations going back to the 1970s that interferon was elevated in certain autoimmune diseases, including lupus. But it wasn't until the availability of gene microarrays in about 2000 that my lab was able to begin figuring out exactly what interferon's role is in the disease.”

Dr. Kirou said, “One of things that makes anifrolumab so promising is that it appears to work particularly well for patients whose disease is more severe. It was especially effective against the skin rashes that are common in lupus patients.”

Read the full article at Phillyvoice.com.