How soon after starting Benlysta will my symptoms improve?

Talk to your doctor about how soon you may start to see your symptoms improve with Benlysta (belimumab). Benlysta is a monoclonal antibody drug that's infused into a vein to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of the autoimmune disease lupus.

Experts recommend Benlysta in addition to -- not instead of -- other medications commonly used to treat SLE, including corticosteroids, antimalarial drugs and anti-inflammatory medications. Research suggests that at the end of one year, people who take Benlysta plus other SLE mediations report greater symptom relief and fewer severe flares of their condition than people who take the other SLE medications alone.

More study is needed to see when those improvements begin to be noticeable. Your doctor may monitor you closely while you are receiving Benlysta, not only to check you for side effects but to see how well the drug is working to relieve your symptoms.