Joint Ventures: The B-Cell Story, Part 2 — Ianalumab and the Next Chapter in Sjögren's and Lupus

Joint Ventures: The B-Cell Story, Part 2 — Ianalumab and the Next Chapter in Sjögren's and Lupus

From HCPLive Podcasts by HCPLive.com

May 28, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode discusses B cell therapies in rheumatic diseases, focusing on ianalumab's dual mechanism and its implications for treating Sjögren's and lupus.

In the second part of this Joint Ventures episode on B cell therapies in rheumatic disease, hosts Jack Arnold, MBBS, PhD, and Rihards Buss, MD, return with guest Lucy Carter, MBBS, PhD, to move beyond the question of how to deplete B cells and toward the more conceptually challenging problem of what happens after depletion — and whether ianalumab's dual mechanism of action represents the most rational answer yet developed. The episode examines the biologic rationale behind combining rituximab with belimumab, reviews the landmark NEPTUNUS Sjögren disease trials in which ianalumab became the first targeted therapy to meet a phase 3 primary endpoint in the disease, and discusses how emerging therapies may ultimately reshape treatment selection, steroid reduction strategies, and long-term management of autoimmune conditions including Sjögren disease and systemic lupus erythematosus.

People in this episode

Hosts: Jack Arnold, MBBS, PhD, Rihards Buss, MD

Guest: Lucy Carter, MBBS, PhD

Topics covered

  • B cell therapies
  • rheumatic disease
  • Sjögren's syndrome
  • lupus
  • autoimmune conditions
  • treatment strategies

Keywords

  • B cell depletion
  • ianalumab
  • rituximab
  • belimumab
  • Sjögren's disease
  • lupus
  • autoimmune treatment
  • NEPTUNUS trials

Mentioned in this episode

Products: ianalumab, rituximab, belimumab

Books & works: Sjögren disease, systemic lupus erythematosus

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