In The Lancet, Ronald van Vollenhoven and colleagues report a positive multicentre double-blind phase 2 randomised, placebo-controlled trial with ustekinumab, an anti-interleukin-12/23 (IL-12/23) monoclonal antibody, in 102 patients aged 18–75 years with active systemic lupus erythematosus (93 women and nine men). The design of the study is common for trials of biotherapies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: ustekinumab was assessed as add-on treatment to standard-of-care therapy in patients with active disease, excluding severe cases with active glomerulonephritis, systemic vasculitis, or CNS involvement.

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