Conference MDAngle: ASN 2024 Glomerular Diseases

Conference MDAngle offers personal perspectives from conference attendees, showcasing their anticipation, quick takeaways, and insights into how the presented research will affect their patients.

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) 2024 Kidney Week was held October 24-27 in San Diego and showcased the latest advancements in kidney research, patient care, and innovations in nephrology. Among the topics presented were new therapeutic approaches for glomerular diseases like C3 glomerulopathy, IgA nephropathy, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, including clinical trial data on targeted therapies and insights into immune mechanisms and complement pathways in disease pathogenesis. The event featured a mix of educational sessions, workshops, and presentations from global experts, providing an in-depth look at the evolving landscape of kidney health and disease management.

Nattawat Klomjit, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota; Staff Physician, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“A lot of medications are in the pipeline. But I do hope that in the near future, maybe 2 to 3 years, we will have more medications approved for this rare glomerular disease and we can help our patients to protect their kidneys.”

Preconference Considerations

ASN 2024: Previewing Developments in Glomerular Diseases

In looking forward to ASN Kidney Week 2024, Dr Klomjit anticipates updates on some of the recent breakthroughs in treating glomerular diseases like IgA nephropathy, which now has three FDA-approved therapies. Dr Klomjit also gives attention to the potential of emerging treatments such as APRIL and BAFF inhibitors, CD38 blockades, C5 inhibitors, and CAR T-cell therapy, as well as the importance of global collaboration among nephrologists to advance the field.

Quick Clinical Takeaways

ASN 2024: Key Highlights in Glomerular Disease

Dr Klomjit highlights significant advancements in complement inhibitors from ASN Kidney Week 2024 for glomerular disease. The VALIANT trial showed that pegcetacoplan achieved a 68% proteinuria reduction and improved eGFR in C3 glomerulopathy. Iptacopan also demonstrated notable proteinuria reductions in IgA nephropathy (38%) and C3G (37%) in the APPLAUSE-IgAN and APPEAR-C3G trials, underscoring its potential in complement blockade therapy.

How Will My Patients Benefit?

ASN 2024: Applying New Data in Glomerular Diseases

Dr Klomjit reflects on new approaches for managing IgA nephropathy and C3 glomerulopathy. For IgA nephropathy, updated guidelines suggest earlier intervention at lower proteinuria levels, with promising treatments like sibeprenlimab and complement inhibitors. For C3 glomerulopathy, investigational drugs pegcetacoplan and iptacopan show potential to improve proteinuria and eGFR, offering hope for future therapeutic advancements.

Polling Question

Summary

This year’s ASN meeting provided a comprehensive look at emerging therapies, cutting-edge research, and the evolving landscape of nephrology, with a focus on improving patient outcomes. Dr Klomjit gained valuable insights at the meeting into how to better manage glomerular diseases like IgA nephropathy and C3 glomerulopathy in clinical practice. IgA nephropathy, once thought to progress slowly, now requires more aggressive treatment even with proteinuria under 1 g/d, as recent studies, including the RaDaR trial, highlight the risk for progression to end-stage kidney disease. New treatments such as sibeprenlimab, complement inhibitors like ravulizumab and iptacopan, and the dual-action drug sparsentan offer promising options to reduce inflammation and proteinuria in patients with IgA nephropathy. For C3 glomerulopathy, the clinical trials of pegcetacoplan and iptacopan show exciting potential, and with more treatments likely to emerge in the next few years, nephrologists can look forward to better outcomes for patients with these rare diseases.

Resources

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Conference MDAngle: ASN 2024 Glomerular Diseases - Medscape - Oct 16, 2024.

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