In March, 2011, the FDA approved Benlysta, the first new lupus drug in 56 years! The importance of this monumental accomplishment cannot be underestimated.
Questions about Benlysta are natural. Dr. Robert Katz of the LFAI’s Medical Advisory Board, agreed to answer your questions about the drug.
Q: My mother was diagnosed with lupus about eight years ago and suffered from it much longer than that. She is African-American. We have heard that this new drug is not as effective for African-Americans. Could you please advise?
A: The population size of African Americans in the study was not large enough to determine the effectiveness of BENLYSTA in that population. Additional research is planned to evaluate the effectiveness of BENLYSTA on African Americans.
That said, it does not mean the drug will not be effective in individual cases, but whether to use BENLYSTA depends on the activity of the lupus and whether it seems like a good idea in an individual patient, so I would not exclude it in your mother’s case.
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