belimumab

BeschreibungBelimumab was approved by the U.S. FDA in March 2011 for treatment of patients with active, autoantibody-positive, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Belimumab is a human sequence monoclonal antibody that binds to human B lymphocyte stimulator protein (BLys; also known as BAFF, THANK, TALL-1, TNFSF13B, and zTNF4), which is overexpressed in SLE patients. BLys is expressed on the cell surface of monocytes, macrophages, and monocyte-derived dendritic cells and is cleaved to form a soluble cytokine that stimulates cell proliferation and antibody secretion in B lineage cells that express the BLys receptor BAFF-R (also known as BR-3). The precise function of two additional BLys receptors, TACI and BCMA, is less clear. Belimumab inhibits BLys interaction with these three receptors leading to measurable reductions in autoantibodies, such as anti-dsDNA, and specific circulating B cell lineage compartments including antibody producing plasma cells. Belimumab was discovered by screening molecules from a phage display library of human single-chain Fv sequences for BLys binding and functional blocking, followed by optimization of the lead through the introduction of variant residues in VH CDR3.

HistoryBelimumab is a BLyS-specific inhibitor developed jointly by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Its brand name is Benlysta. BLyS is a naturally occurring protein discovered by HGS in 1996. GSK submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) for Benlysta to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in June 2010, and it received FDA approval in 2011.

VerwendenTreatment of autoimmune disease.