Researchers at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research found that obinutuzumab, a therapeutic antibody that depletes B cells and is approved for the treatment of B cell malignancies, benefitted patients with lupus nephritis, a severe complication of lupus that compromises kidney function.

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Dr. Richard A. Furie led the study. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes).

The study, which was led by Richard A. Furie, MD, professor in the Feinstein Institutes’ Institute of Molecular Medicine and The Marilyn and Barry Rubenstein Chair in Rheumatology, and published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, shows findings from a phase 3 clinical trial known as REGENCY. The REGENCY trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted across 15 countries, involving 271 adults with biopsy-proven active lupus nephritis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either obinutuzumab in addition to standard therapy (mycophenolate mofetil and glucocorticoids), or a placebo along with standard therapy.

Results showed a significantly higher percentage of participants in the obinutuzumab group achieved a complete renal response compared to the placebo group. This positive outcome translated to a clinically meaningful improvement in kidney function.

“These findings represent a major step forward in the treatment of lupus nephritis,” said Dr. Furie, who is also chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Northwell Health. “Obinutuzumab, a well-known and easy-to-obtain drug, could potentially offer new hope for patients living with this challenging condition.”

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's defense system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. When this attack targets the kidneys, it leads to lupus nephritis, causing inflammation and impaired kidney function. This can progress to serious kidney complications, including kidney failure. Many patients with lupus nephritis experience inadequate responses to standard therapies, despite receiving medications like mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone.

“Dr. Furie and his team have delivered new hope for patients with lupus nephritis, a condition where effective treatments are desperately needed,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “This clinical trial result reveals that obinutuzumab can improve short-term outcomes while further data is being collected to determine the long-term impact the drug has on kidney health.”

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

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