February 10, 2021

The worldwide lupus community lost a brilliant researcher and a passionate champion with the recent passing of rheumatologist Marc Chevrier, MD, PhD, FACR.  A larger-than-life personality with a huge heart to match, Dr. Chevrier was a devoted friend to hundreds of people with lupus and those who care for them.  Perhaps most notably, he helped develop one of the most precious gifts with the availability of Benlysta® (belimumab) as the first new lupus treatment in more than 50 years.

The LRA was fortunate to have worked with Dr. Chevrier in his capacity representing the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson on our Lupus Industry Council. In this group of pharmaceutical competitors collaborating to overcome obstacles to lupus drug development, his was a voice people listened to with heightened attention. Having been with Janssen for many years, Dr. Chevrier was currently serving as Leader of Autoimmunity Evaluations.

“There were few people more beloved and admired by the lupus community than Marc,” describes Kenneth M. Farber, LRA President and CEO. “From his time at Human Genome Sciences working on belimumab to his terrific work at Janssen, Marc was always totally committed to putting patients first.”

He brought to lupus research a stellar background, starting with his education at Cornell University, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  Dr. Chevrier also trained in clinical research at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health.

On behalf of the lupus community, the LRA extends our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Chevrier’s family on the immeasurable loss of this extraordinary man.

Click here for formal obituary.