Nephrology Month in Review: October 2024

With 2024 quickly drawing to a close, October represented perhaps one of the busiest months of the year in nephrology, owing largely to the plethora of renal news and research produced by the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2024.

This month also saw the introduction of HCPLive’s first nephrology podcast, Kidney Compass, which debuted its first 3 episodes with a trio of guests from ASN Kidney Week. A hot topic at the meeting and the focus of one of these Kidney Compass episodes, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) was a major area of nephrology research this month.

Check out this HCPLive October 2024 nephrology month in review for highlights of our coverage of the biggest renal headlines from the past few weeks!

HCPLive at ASN Kidney Week

VALIANT: Pegcetacoplan Offers Benefit for UPCR, eGFR, C3 Staining in C3G, IC-MPGN

Data from the VALIANT trial presented at ASN Kidney Week 2024 provide evidence positioning pegcetacoplan (Empaveli), a complement inhibitor targeting C3/C3b, as the first therapy to offer clinically meaningful benefits for proteinuria, C3c staining, and eGFR stabilization in patients with C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) or primary immune complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (IC-MPGN).

The full presentation of VALIANT comes less than 3 months after Sobi and Apellis Pharmaceuticals announced topline results and sheds additional light on the safety and efficacy of pegcetacoplan for a pair of rare kidney diseases without approved treatments. Based on these data, Sobi and Apellis intend to file a supplemental New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration in early 2025.

Related: Carla Nester, MD: Pegcetacoplan in C3 Glomerulopathy and Primary IC-MPGN

DUPLEX: Sparsentan Could Offer Greater Benefit in Genetic FSGS

A posthoc analysis of DUPLEX, the largest clinical trial to date in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), suggests patients with genetic FSGS (gFSGS) could benefit from sparsentan (Filspari) similar to patients with other forms of FSGS. The analysis was presented almost exactly 1 year after the presentation of the original DUPLEX trial, with results indicating patients with gFSGS experienced a more pronounced antiproteinuric response with sparsentan that was sustained across the duration of the study period.

Semaglutide Shows Promise, Reduces UACR in Nondiabetic Kidney Disease

Semaglutide (Ozempic) may be useful as a treatment for the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) without diabetes, according to findings from recent research. The 6-month trial compared use of semaglutide 2.4 mg against placebo therapy in patients with obesity and nondiabetic CKD, with results suggesting use of the GLP-1 receptor agonist was associated with a placebo-corrected 52.1% reduction in urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR).

New Podcast Alert: Kidney Compass Debuts on HCPLive

Kidney Compass: Navigating Clinical Trials

October saw the introduction of Kidney Compass: Navigating Clinical Trials, a guide to the latest in clinical trials and relevant updates in the world of nephrology—created by Brendon Neuen, MBBS, PhD, and Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, to make the changing landscape of nephrology and clinical trials within the specialty easier to understand and navigate.

The podcast features insights from Neuen and Wadhwani, but also special guests, including some of the leading trialists in the space. At ASN Kidney Week, the duo spoke with 3 experts about new trial data being presented at the meeting for the podcast’s first 3 episodes:

Kidney Compass: Atacicept for IgAN with Jonathan Barratt, MD, PhD, at Kidney Week 2024

Kidney Compass: Semaglutide for Nondiabetic Kidney Disease, with Hiddo Heerspink, PhD, PharmD, at Kidney Week 2024

Kidney Compass: FLOW Insights from Kidney Week 2024, with Katherine Tuttle, MD

New IgAN Research

Gender, IgA Nephropathy Linked to Gross Hematuria After COVID-19 Vaccination

Among HCPLive’s most popular nephrology coverage from October was a summary of findings from a prospective nationwide multicenter cohort study conducted across 22 hospitals in Japan suggesting female patients and patients with IgAN and IgA vasculitis (IgAV) are more likely to experience gross hematuria following receipt of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Beyond the apparent sex and IgAN/IgAV bias, results also suggest specific galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and the adaptive immune system may be involved in the development of gross hematuria following vaccination.

ORIGIN OLE Data Solidify Atacicept Disease-Modifying Potential for IgA Nephropathy

New 96-week data from the open-label extension portion of the ORIGIN trial suggest use of atacicept could slow the rate of kidney decline in patients with IgAN to a rate similar to physiological aging without kidney disease. Results of the trial show use of atacicept, a dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor from Vera Therapeutics, was associated with sustained reductions in Gd-IgA1, hematuria, and UPCR, positioning atacicept as a disease-modifying therapy and representing an important potential advancement in the future management of IgAN.

Felzartamab Slows IgAN Decline in New Phase 2 Data

Felzartamab is well-tolerated, leads to sustained proteinuria reductions, and reduces eGFR decline in patients with IgAN compared to placebo, according to new 24-month data from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2a IGNAZ study. A monoclonal antibody, felzartamab targets CD38 on plasma cells, which is suspected to be the source of pathogenic Gd-IgA1 and autoantibodies in IgAN.