Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36963777›Full record

Trial reportLupus science & medicine2023

Safety and efficacy of belimumab in older adults with SLE: results of an integrated analysis of clinical trial data.

David D'Cruz, Gina Eriksson, Yulia Green, Anne Hammer, Beulah Ji, Paige Meizlik, David A Roth

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Lupus science & medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Review
  3. Lessons Learnt from the Belimumab Trials in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Late-onset lupus nephritis: what is the evidence?Kidney research and clinical practice · 2025
    Article
  6. Late-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Rheumatology international · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

David D'CruzLouise Coote Lupus Unit, Guy's Hospital, London, UK david.d'cruz@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-6983-8421
Gina ErikssonResearch and Development, GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Yulia GreenImmunology, GSK, Brentford, Middlesex, UK.
Anne HammerImmunology Biostatistics, GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Beulah JiResearch and Development, GSK, Brentford, Middlesex, UK.
Paige MeizlikGlobal Safety, GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA.
David A RothResearch and Development, GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA.
GlaxoSmithKline (United States) · USGuy's Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAssess the safety and efficacy of belimumab in older adults with SLE.

methodsThis post hoc integrated analysis (GSK Study 116559) included safety data from six randomised, placebo-controlled belimumab trials (BLISS-76, BLISS-52, BLISS-SC, North East Asia study, LBSL02, EMBRACE; n=4170). The BASE study provided additional safety data (n=4003). Efficacy data were from five of the trials. Older adults (≥65 years) were compared with the overall populations of patients with SLE. Patients who had received ≥1 treatment dose were included.

resultsSixty-three older adults (1.5%) were included in the pooled safety analysis population and 156 (3.9%) in the BASE study. At baseline, older adults had lower disease activity but more organ damage than the overall populations. In the pooled safety analysis population, five (18.5%) placebo-treated and ten (27.8%) belimumab-treated older adults experienced ≥1 serious adverse event (SAE), as did 230 (17.0%) placebo-treated and 421 (15.0%) belimumab-treated patients overall. In the BASE study, nine (11.0%) placebo-treated and six (8.1%) belimumab-treated older adults experienced ≥1 SAE, as did 222 (11.1%) placebo-treated and 220 (11.0%) belimumab-treated patients overall. No clinically relevant differences in deaths and adverse events of special interest were observed between older adults and the overall populations. Older adults' SLE Responder Index response rates favoured belimumab versus placebo, consistent with the overall population.

conclusionThe safety and efficacy of belimumab in older adults were generally consistent with the overall populations, suggesting belimumab is a treatment option for older patients with SLE. Due to small numbers of older adults, findings should be interpreted with caution.

Indexed as

Immunosuppressive AgentsLupus Erythematosus, SystemicAgedAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedHumansSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedbelimumabImmunosuppressive AgentsAutoimmune DiseasesInflammationLupus Erythematosus, Systemic

Identifiers

PMID36963777
PMCPMC10040006
OpenAlexW4360844235

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.