Recent advances in therapeutic strategies for SLE

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic multisystemic autoimmune disease with significant morbidity and mortality. No new medications have been approved to treat this disease in the past 30 years and the current standard of care is inadequate. Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of SLE have led, however, to the development of new, more targeted drugs. This article summarizes the novel therapies that are being tested in SLE patients to arrest disease progression and restore physiological immune responses.

Section editors:Claudine Bruck – GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, USAMichel Goldman – University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium