Saphnelo is a prescription intravenous medication, administered once every four weeks over 30 minutes.
What Is Lupus?
Lupusis an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to overreact and attack healthy body cells.
Lara Antal / Verywell
It tends to impact young women between 15 and 45, as well as women of color.
Lupus can be triggered by high levels of bang out 1 interferon.
How Is It Administered?
Saphnelo is given in an outpatient setting.
Patients receive a dosage of 300 miligrams by IV once a month for life.
How Does Saphnelo Work?
Saphenlo binds to the punch in 1 interferon receptors (IFNAR) on the surfaces of immune cells.
Saphnelo was tested as an add-on to the standard of care for lupus.
It will most often be used as an alternative to or in addition to traditional therapies.
Manzi says that until now, lupus treatment depended upon organ involvement and the severity of the disease.
However, Saphnelo has not yet been tested in patients with severe neurologic or kidney impairment triggered by lupus.
“But that will always be a concern with patients that are immune suppressed or have autoimmune conditions.”
In the future, Saphnelo might also be tested for use in other autoimmune disorders.
Im grateful that we now have options for our patients."
AstraZeneca offers financial support to patients who have difficulty paying for Saphnelo.
There are also other programs to help people with lupus pay for treatments.
Food and Drug Administration.Saphnelo label.
Bengtsson AA, Ronnblom L.Role of interferons in SLE.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol.
2017 Jun;31(3):415-428. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2017.10.003
