Anifrolumab Tied to Lower Hospitalization, Infection Risk in Lupus

TUESDAY, Sept. 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Anifrolumab is associated with a lower risk for infections requiring antibiotics and for hospitalizations among patients with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)-refractory chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a letter to the editor published online Sept. 2 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Anjana Srikumar, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of 71 adults with HCQ-refractory CCLE and SLE. Patients escalated to conventional immunosuppressants (CI) or anifrolumab (±CI) were included: 46, 13, and 12 patients received CI alone, anifrolumab + CI, and anifrolumab monotherapy, respectively.

Active lupus nephritis rates were 30.4, 23.1, and 8.3 percent, respectively. Disease duration was shorter in the CI group (mean, 3.4 years versus 10.6 and 9.1 years, respectively), while similar scores were seen on the baseline SLE Disease Activity Index 2000. The researchers found that at one year, overall infection rates were comparable. Hospitalizations occurred in 32.6 and 23.1 percent of those receiving CI and anifrolumab + CI, respectively; there were no hospitalizations among those receiving anifrolumab monotherapy. A similar pattern was seen for infections requiring systemic antibiotics (47.8 and 38.5 percent, respectively, versus 8.3 percent). Anifrolumab monotherapy was associated with lower odds of hospitalization and antibiotic use compared with CI in adjusted analyses (odds ratios, 0.10 and 0.11, respectively), while comparable odds were seen for CI and anifrolumab plus CI. Bacterial infections were predominant with CI, while anifrolumab-treated patients more often had viral infections.

“Our real-world findings should provide stronger evidence and greater clarity on how this medication can be used,” lead author Jun Kang, M.D., also from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said in a statement.

One author serves as a site principal investigator for AstraZeneca”s LAVENDER trial evaluating anifrolumab.

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