Belimumab

She emphasized that early treatment might mean introducing targeted therapy before conventional immunosuppression, before measurable damage occurs, or within the early years of the disease.

Earlier targeted therapy may accelerate remission and renal response, reduce flares and glucocorticoid exposure, She also presented observational and postdoc evidence suggesting that early belimumab-based strategies may improve outcomes while acknowledging questions of cost and access.

Chris, in the counter-argument, said that biologics had a good value, but that calling them necessary early in every patient's disease is unsupported by the current evidence.

He also highlighted global access and cost, safety, the heterogeneity of SLE and the difficulty of knowing which biologic will work for which patient.

Most of the patients that are involved in clinical practice are not the patients that we see in clinical practice or in clinical trials are not the patient that we see in clinical practice.

So we always have to extrapolate.

And in this very, very nice presentation, Ron reviewed belimumab, anifolumab, and obinutumab, and he proposed clinical profiles that might favor individual therapies.

David, do you want to comment on your own presentation?