Results of a Biotrends LLC. survey of 100 U.S. nephrologists suggest that the need for new therapies targeted at glomerulonephritis (GN) is extremely high. Surveyed nephrologists estimate that close to 10% of the patients they are managing have GN, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), membranous nephritis and IgA nephropathy account for approximately two-thirds of the cases. FSGS was associated with the highest unmet need resulting from a lack of effective treatments coupled with a high proportion of patients that are refractive to available treatments. Although they are fewer in number, patients with Goodpasture’s or blood vessel diseases (such as Wegener’s and vasculitis) are more likely to have rapid progression of chronic kidney disease, making treatment more urgent.

More than 40% of the respondents noted changes in the management of GN in the past year.  The most common treatment pattern change was the expanded use of Roche/Genentech’s Rituxan and Vifor’s CellCept as treatment options. Patients with GN are frequently treated with corticosteroids which can have long term detrimental side effects and awareness of new treatment options in development for GN was low with the highest awareness associated with Rituxan and Reata’s bardoxolone. Clinical endpoints of greatest interest to surveyed nephrologists included an increase (or maintenance) of GFR and/or a delay to dialysis/renal failure. The majority of respondents would ideally like to have a treatment option that can be used as soon as symptoms present, although 78% agree that even in GN patients with normal renal function there can be significant disease burden.