Obinutuzumab may effectively reduce kidney-related complications and corticosteroid use in patients with lupus nephritis when combined with standard therapy, according to a press release from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). In a post-hoc analysis of the phase II NOBILITY trial—presented by Rovin et al at ACR Convergence 2023—researchers examined the outcomes of patients with lupus nephritis who had been randomly assigned to receive a regimen of obinutuzumab plus standard therapy or standard therapy alone. Patients in the obinutuzumab group experienced greater disease improvement than patients who received standard therapy alone and did not experience more severe side effects. Further, patients who received the obinutuzumab combination had a lower likelihood of developing kidney-related complications and required lower doses of corticosteroids starting at 76 weeks of the study period. The researchers underscored that the novel treatment regimen may be more effective at preserving kidney function and reducing lupus nephritis flares than current standard therapies. “[This trial has] implications for the long-term management of lupus nephritis, and [opens] a whole new area of research with potential applications to kidney diseases outside of lupus,” concluded lead study author Brad Rovin, MD, Professor and nephrologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.