Results of a survey of 100 U.S. nephrologists suggest that the need for new therapies targeted at glomerulonephritis (GN) is extremely high, with only polycystic kidney disease having significantly higher unmet need.

December 27, 2011—Exton, Penn. - Results of a survey of 100 U.S. nephrologists suggest that the need for new therapies targeted at glomerulonephritis (GN) is extremely high, with only polycystic kidney disease having significantly higher unmet need.

Nephrologists estimate that close to 10% of the patients they are managing have GN with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), membranous nephritis and IgA nephropathy accounting 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.

Over 40% of the respondents noted changes in the management of GN in the past year with the most common treatment pattern changes around 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. 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 nephrologists include 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.

TreatmentTrends^®: Glomerulonephritis is a syndicated annual report that provides a view of the current and expected future management of GN based on primary research fielded with 100 nephrologists in the United States. The report evaluates treatment patterns in FSGS, IMGN and IgA nephropathy (a special report on lupus nephritis was published earlier in 2011).