BioTrends is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of a new syndicated report, TreatmentTrends®: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). This report will provide a comprehensive market overview of current and future treatment trends in SLE based on a primary research study fielded with 102 rheumatologists in the U.S. during the first week in June.
Preliminary findings indicate that despite the availability of multiple treatment options, most of which are used in combination of three or more agents in moderate to severe disease, rheumatologists consider the unmet need for new therapies for SLE to be significantly greater compared to any other rheumatology condition that they treat in their clinical practice. Though current therapies such as immunosuppressants, cytotoxic agents and steroids are effective in treating SLE, rheumatologists express concern about patients' ability to stay on therapy due to the unwanted side effects associated with these agents.
No new therapies have been approved for SLE in five decades and numerous products have failed in clinical trials. However, rheumatologists expressed a high level of interest in Human Genome Science/GSK's Benlysta, a first-in-class BLyS-specific inhibitor currently under review by the FDA for SLE. Rheumatologists reacted positively to the product's unique mechanism of action and favorable safety profile after viewing a product description (which included the most recent BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 study results). Most rheumatologists expect to begin using Benlysta within the first six months of launch. Further, a significant proportion of rheumatologists with in-office-infusion capability expect to increase their infusion capacity as a result of more patients seeking treatment and the availability of new, infused biologic agents.
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