Telitacicept for Recalcitrant Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Telitacicept for Recalcitrant Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Xinyue Ma,¹ Xiaoying Fu,² Beibei Cui³ and Hui Lin³

¹West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
²Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
³Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Telitacicept is a novel humanized, recombinant transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor and the Fc portion (TACI-Fc) fusion protein, designed to neutralize the activity of both B-cell lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). On March 9, 2021, telitacicept received its first approval in China for the treatment of adult patients with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Additionally, on April 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted fast track designation to telitacicept for the treatment of SLE. Clinical studies of telitacicept in several other indications, including IgA nephropathy, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome are underway in China. This is the first case that reports telitacicept successfully treated a SLE patient with refractory cutaneous involvement, which provides a potential therapeutic option for recalcitrant cutaneous manifestations of SLE. Furthermore, we review reported studies of BLyS targeted treatments for mucocutaneous lupus. Telitacicept appears to have activity in refractory cutaneous involvement of SLE and clinical trials are warranted to further assess this potential therapy.

Keywords —— APRIL; B-cell lymphocyte stimulator; refractory cutaneous manifestations; systemic lupus erythematosus; Telitacicept

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med 2022, 258, 219-223.

Correspondence: Hui Lin, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.

e-mail: lhacd@163.com