Belimumab for the treatment of corticosteroid-dependent systemic lupus erythematosus: from clinical trials to real-life experience after 1 year of use in 48 Brazilian patients.

The objective of the study was to evaluate prospectively real-life experience on the effect of belimumab on patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Forty-eight patients with active SLE were evaluated after 1 year of continuous treatment. Thirty-eight patients were still on treatment at the end of 1 year, and it was possible to observe significant clinical improvement in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score with a decrease from 12 ± 3.0 to 2.5 ± 2.5, also a decrease on the daily steroid dose from 30 ± 12.5 to 7.5 ± 5.0 mg and partial improvement on serology. Belimumab treatment is associated with real benefit in the majority of patients that maintain active disease in spite of continuing on standard of care.