UCB, Immunomedics announce results of lupus biotech drug

BRUSSELS, Belgium Patients receiving an investigational biotech drug for lupus got better results than those taking placebo, according to results of a mid-stage clinical trial released Thursday.

Belgian drug maker UCB and U.S. drug maker Immunomedics announced results of a Phase 2b study of the drug epratuzumab showing that of 227 patients with moderately to severely active lupus, those receiving the drug fared better by a 25% margin over those in the placebo group.

“Epratuzumab is the most advanced pipeline program in UCB’s immunology disease portfolio, and the positive results are significant for UCB as we continue to move our antibody-based programs ahead,” UCB CEO Roch Doliveux said in a statement. “These results may provide new hope for the hundreds of thousands of people around the world living with [lupus] as no new treatment has been approved for this life-altering disease in over five decades.”