Setback for Astrazeneca as lupus drug fails trials

Astrazeneca’s experimental drug anifrolumab failed in late-stage clinical trials to help people with lupus, an auto-immune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body. The pharmaceutical company said the drug did not show a “statistically significant” reduction in disease activity in patients. The company’s chief medical officer, Sean Bohen, called the results “disappointing”. Astrazeneca has been in a race with rivals to create new treatments for lupus.