Efficacy and Safety of Biologic Agents for Lupus Nephritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The aim of this study was to examine the effect and safety of biological agents for lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched from their inception up to November 2021. The outcomes were overall response, complete remission, proteinuria, renal activity index, and adverse events (AEs). Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. RESULTS: Nine RCTs (1645 patients) were included. The RCTs evaluated abatacept (n = 2), belimumab (n = 1), obinutuzumab (n = 1), atacicept (n = 1), IL-2 (n = 1), ocrelizumab (n = 1), and rituximab (n = 2). The use of biological agents was associated with higher likelihoods of achieving an overall response (relative risk [RR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–1.39; p < 0.001; I(2) = 14.3%; p(Q) = 0.301) and a complete response (RR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.16–1.54; p < 0.001; I(2) = 41.8%; p(Q) = 0.056). The use of biological agents was not associated with improvements in the urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (weighted mean difference, 3.83; 95% CI, −3.71 to 11.38; p = 0.319; I(2) = 99.4%; p(Q) < 0.001). The use of biological agents in patients with LN was also not associated with an increased risk of any AEs (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98–1.04; p = 0.519; I(2) = 0.0%; p(Q) = 0.533), serious AEs (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.82–1.09; p = 0.457; I(2) = 0.0%; p(Q) = 0.667), grade >3 AEs (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.67–1.22; p = 0.522; I(2) = 0.0%; p(Q) = 0.977), infections (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.99–1.20; p = 0.084; I(2) = 0.0%; p(Q) = 0.430), and deaths (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.36–1.24; p = 0.200; I(2) = 0.0%; p(Q) = 0.439). The meta-regression analysis showed that follow-up duration and the sample size did not influence the complete response rate, whereas publications in 2012 to 2014 influence the rate compared with 2015 to 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Biological agents seem to be effective and safe for managing patients with LN.