March 27, 2023

Based on positive results of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing upadacitinib (Rinvoq^®) given alone or with elsubrutinib once daily for moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus, developer AbbVie is advancing the drug to a Phase 3 trial. The trial also showed that steroid dose either went down or stayed the same among those patients treated with upadacitinib.

The  study met the primary endpoint of effectiveness as evaluated by a standard measurement tool, the SLE Responder Index (SRI-4).  Upadacitinib is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat six conditions including other autoimmune diseases rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.  It is not approved as a treatment for lupus.

Read AbbVie Press Release