AstraZeneca succeeds in treating lupus in late-stage study

AstraZeneca Plc said on Monday its experimental treatment significantly reduced disease activity in patients with autoimmune disorder lupus, in a late-stage study. The results pit the British drugmaker’s anifrolumab against rival GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Benlysta – the only new drug approved for lupus in the last 60 years. Benlysta recorded 473 million pounds of global sales in 2018, up 26% from a year earlier.