• Men and women with SLE, aged \>= 18 years and =\< 75 years at screening, fulfilling the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for SLE at screening.

• Participant must be positive for at least one of the following autoantibodies at screening: antinuclear antibodies (ANA) at a titer of \>= 1:80 (on HEp-2 cells or an equivalent positive test), or anti-dsDNA (above the ULN); or anti-Sm (above the ULN) as determined by a central laboratory.

• Active lupus nephritis without signs of significant chronicity or active systemic lupus erythematosus

• SLEDAI-2K Criteria at screening: SLEDAI-2K score \>= 6 points (Gladman et al 2002, Touma et al 2011), excluding points attributed to fever, lupus headache, alopecia, and organic brain syndrome.

• Inadequate response at screening to at least two therapies