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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01705977

Belimumab Assessment of Safety in SLE

The purpose of this study is to further enhance the existing knowledge regarding the side effects of belimumab when given with other lupus medicines to adults with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study mainly focuses on collecting information on serious events that are not that common or may only be seen with long-term treatment. These events include death, serious infections and other infections of interest, cancers, serious mental health problems, including depression and suicide, and serious infusion and hypersensitivity reactions. This study is being done to help understand if treatment with belimumab increases the risk for these types of events. This study will also see if patients receiving belimumab with other lupus medicines can reduce their use of steroids, such as prednisone, over 1 year.

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Key information

Conditions

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Autoimmune Diseases Connective Tissue Diseases Immune System Diseases Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 4

Primary location

GSK Investigational Site, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina

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About this study

Study participants receive standard therapy for SLE in addition to receiving the study drug, either placebo (no active medicine) or belimumab. The controlled period of the study is 52 weeks. The random assignment in this study is "1 to 1" which means that participants have an equal chance of receiving belimumab or placebo. After completion of the 52-week study period, participants will be contacted by phone annually for 4 more years to assess health status.

Following the 52-week controlled period, participants who wish to continue treatment with belimumab may be able to do so by being prescribed commercially available belimumab. If belimumab is not commercially available in the participant's country, the participant may be able to receive belimumab under a separate continuation protocol.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Key Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of SLE by American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria.
  • Active SLE disease.
  • Autoantibody-positive.
  • On stable SLE treatment regimen which may include corticosteroids (for example, prednisone), antimalarial (for example, hydroxychloroquine) and/or immunosuppressants (for example, azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate).

Key Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or nursing.
  • Have received treatment with any of the following: belimumab, either as a marketed product or as an investigational agent; any B cell targeted therapy (for example, rituximab) in the past year; or any biological agent (for example, adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, or anakinra) in the past 90 days.
  • Have received a live vaccine within the past 30 days.
  • Have severe active lupus kidney disease.
  • Have severe active central nervous system (CNS) lupus.
  • Current or past positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.

Treatment and study plan

Placebo plus standard therapy

Biological

Placebo plus standard therapy

Belimumab 10 mg/kg plus standard therapy

Biological

Belimumab 10 mg/kg plus standard therapy

Other names: BENLYSTA™

Standard therapy

Other

Standard therapy comprises any of the following (alone or in combination): corticosteroids, antimalarials, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and immunosuppressives; other biologics are not permitted.

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Deaths - On Treatment Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-treatment period)

    Number of participants who died during on-treatment period (Week 52) is reported. The on-treatment period was defined as first dose to last dose + 28 days (or death). The As-Treated Population was defined as all participants who were randomized and received at least one dose of study agent,grouped according to the actual treatment administered for the majority (greater than [>]50 percent [%]) of the time. The on-treatment period was the primary analysis period for safety analyses.

  2. Number of Participants Who Reported Protocol Defined Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI): On-treatment Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-treatment period)

    A summary of protocol defined AESIs including serious infections, opportunistic infections and other infections of interest (serious and non-serious), non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), malignancies (excluding NMSC), psychiatric events suggesting serious mood disorders and anxiety (serious depression), suicidality (using Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale [C-SSRS]) and serious infusion and hypersensitivity reactions (SIHR) is reported. The on-treatment period (Week 52) was defined as first dose to last dose + 28 days (or death). The on-treatment period was the primary analysis period for safety analyses.

  3. Number of Participants With Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) Reported During On-treatment Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-treatment period)

    An SAE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence that results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent disability/incapacity, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, associated with liver injury and impaired liver function or any other situations as per medical or scientific judgement. The on-treatment period (Week 52) was defined as first dose to last dose + 28 days (or death) and was the primary analysis period for safety analyses.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Deaths Reported - On-study Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-study period)

    Number of participants who died during on-study period (Week 52) is reported. The on-study period (which includes on and off treatment data) was defined as first dose to the end of the Week 52 study follow-up (or death). The on-study period was a supportive analysis period for safety analysis.

  2. Number of Participants Who Reported Protocol Defined AESI: On-study Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-study period)

    A summary of protocol defined AESIs including serious infections, opportunistic infections and other infections of interest (serious and non-serious), NMSC, malignancies (excluding NMSC), psychiatric events suggesting serious mood disorders and anxiety (serious depression), suicidality (using C-SSRS) and SIHR is reported. The on-study period (Week 52) (which includes on and off treatment data) was defined as first dose to the end of the Week 52 study follow-up (or death). The on-study period was a supportive analysis period for safety analysis.

  3. Number of Participants With SAEs Reported During On-study Period (Week 52)

    Time frame: Up to Week 52 (On-study period)

    A SAE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence that results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent disability/incapacity, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, associated with liver injury and impaired liver function or any other situations as per medical or scientific judgement. The on-study period (Week 52) (which includes on and off treatment data) was defined as first dose to the end of the Week 52 study follow-up (or death) and was a supportive analysis period for safety analyses.

  4. Percentage of Participants Whose Average Prednisone (or Equivalent) Dose to Treat SLE Has Been Reduced by >=25% From Baseline to <=7.5 mg/Day During Weeks 40 Through 52

    Time frame: Week 40 to Week 52

    The average daily prednisone dose during Weeks 40 to 52 is the sum of all prednisone doses to treat SLE from the day following the Week 40 visit date up to but not including the Week 52 study completion date divided by the number of days between Week 40 visit date and study completion date (study completion date - Week 40 visit date). Percentage of participants whose average prednisone dose has been reduced by >=25% from Baseline to <=7.5 mg/day during Weeks 40 through 52 in participants with average prednisone use greater than 7.5 mg/day at Baseline was compared between belimumab and placebo using a logistic regression model including treatment group, Baseline prednisone dose, screening safety of estrogen in lupus national assessment (SELENA) systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score (<=9 versus >=10) and region. Baseline is defined as the last available value measured prior to dosing on or before the date of first dose (Day 1).

  5. Number of Participants With All-cause Mortality During Years 2 to 5

    Time frame: From 2 years to 5 years

    Number of participants with all-cause mortality during years 2 to 5 has been presented.

  6. Number of Participants With New Primary Malignancies During Years 2 to 5

    Time frame: From 2 years to 5 years

    Number of participants with new primary malignancies during years 2 to 5 has been presented.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

GlaxoSmithKline

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 52-Week Study to Assess Adverse Events of Special Interest in Adults With Active, Autoantibody-Positive Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Receiving Belimumab

Acronym: BASE

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2022
First posted
Oct 15, 2012
Registry last updated
Jul 15, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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