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Review
. 2023 Jul 23;12(14):4848.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12144848.

Efficacy and Safety of New B Cell-Targeted Biologic Agent for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

José L Gómez-Urquiza  1 , José L Romero-Bejar  2   3   4 , Sara Chami-Peña  5 , Nora Suleiman-Martos  6 , Guillermo A Cañadas-De la Fuente  6   7 , Esther Molina  2   6   8 , Blanca Riquelme-Gallego  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Efficacy and Safety of New B Cell-Targeted Biologic Agent for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

José L Gómez-Urquiza et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: B cells are central to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of new B cell-targeted drug therapies for SLE.

Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and reference lists of relevant articles published from inception to 2022 were selected from PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to estimate an overall effect size for the risk of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) with belimumab and tabalumab treatment. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic and meta-regression. Funnel asymmetry was evaluated using Egger's test.

Results: This study included 13 RCTs, of which three showed high risk of bias. Egger's test showed no asymmetry. The risk of SAEs and AEs was lower in the treatment group with belimumab treatment. The risk of AEs for tabalumab treatment was lower in the treatment group and lower for SAEs.

Conclusion: Belimumab and tabalumab therapies are effective and safe in the treatment of SLE, although tabalumab does not show sufficient statistical power. Advances in understanding the underlying mechanisms of SLE will be directed towards correlating clinical manifestations with specific pathogenic pathways and the development of precision medicine.

Keywords: biologic treatment; efficacy; meta-analysis; safety; systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Identification of trials for the systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of B cell-targeted therapies for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for adverse events of belimumab vs. control [6,7,8,9].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for adverse events of tabalumab vs. control [14,15,16].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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