August, 2022
We are pleased to share positive results from the two-part Phase 2 LILAC study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that the investigational therapy litifilimab (BIIB059) lessened skin disease activity in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. There is a great unmet need for people with cutaneous lupus, a type of lupus with few treatment options that causes inflammation to the skin.
Data showed that the study met its primary endpoint, meaning that litifilimab was more effective than placebo in reducing skin disease activity. Results at 16 weeks of treatment also showed that increasing doses of litifilimab improved the benefit as evaluated by a widely accepted measure of skin disease activity.
Discovered by scientists at the biotechnology company Biogen, litifilimab targets BDCA2, a protein found on cells of type I interferons (IFNs). Pioneering work funded by the Lupus Research Alliance over a decade ago discovered that type I interferons play a major role in causing inflammation and are key drivers of lupus.
The clinical affiliate of the LRA, Lupus Therapeutics, is looking forward to working with Biogen on the next phase of testing litifilimab in cutaneous lupus. Currently, Lupus Therapeutics is partnering with Biogen to conduct a clinical trial of litifilimab as a treatment for people with active systemic lupus receiving standard of care.
