A phase 3 clinical trial has found that sibeprenlimab stabilised kidney function over two years in patients with IgA nephropathy, a common cause of kidney failure.
A large randomised trial presented at Kidney Week has shown that a drug called sibeprenlimab held kidney function steady over 24 months in patients with IgA nephropathy (a condition where the immune system damages the kidney’s filtering units, often leading to kidney failure). The findings come from the VISIONARY trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The trial was phase 3, double-blind, and randomised — the gold standard for testing whether a treatment works. Researchers measured the rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which is the standard way doctors track how well kidneys are filtering waste from the blood. In patients taking sibeprenlimab, that rate stabilised, which the New England Journal of Medicine says is consistent with a reduced risk of kidney function decline.
IgA nephropathy is one of the most common forms of kidney disease worldwide. The body produces abnormal IgA antibodies that collect in the kidneys, causing inflammation and, over time, scarring. There is currently no cure.
So a drug that can hold the eGFR slope flat over two years is a meaningful result — not a cure, but a potential way to slow the clock on kidney damage.
The full VISIONARY trial results are available through the New England Journal of Medicine. Anyone concerned about kidney health, or living with a kidney condition, should speak to their GP or call NHS 111 for guidance.
Source: @NEJM
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