GSK tests lupus drug in patients with inflammatory blood vessel disorder

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline has started a late-stage clinical trial of a drug in patients with an inflammatory disease that affects the blood vessels.

The drug maker announced the start of a phase-3 trial of Benlysta (belimumab) in patients with vasculitis, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks blood vessels, leading to inflammation, disruption of blood flow and possible damage to the organs. The drug is being tested in patients with a common form of the disease known as anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-positive vasculitis.

The Food and Drug Administration originally approved Benlysta in 2011 for treating lupus.