Supplementary file 1_Effectiveness and safety of belimumab and telitacicept in active systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective cohort study.docx

This study aimed to compare their effectiveness and safety in patients with active SLE.</p>Methods<p>This retrospective cohort study included 91 patients with active SLE treated at Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University between July 2021 and June 2024. Eligible patients received conventional therapy and were treated with belimumab (n=45) or telitacicept (n=46) for 24 weeks.

Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to balance baseline covariates. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving LLDAS at week 24.</p>Results<p>Telitacicept was associated with significantly better outcomes than belimumab in achieving LLDAS at week 24 (30.92% vs. 11.35%, P = 0.026) and SRI-4 responses at weeks 12 and 24 (both P < 0.01). The steroid-sparing effect also favored telitacicept, as evidenced by higher proportions of patients achieving prednisone reduction to ≤5 mg/d (40.99% vs. 18.72%, P < 0.05) and ≤7.5 mg/d (52.14% vs. 27.25%, P < 0.05).