In late May of this year, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. dosed its first patient with voclosporin in a Phase 3 trial known as AURORA.
AURORA is a confirmatory clinical trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of voclosporin for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN), a rare disease caused by lupus and characterized by extreme inflammation and failure of the kidneys. For more information about lupus nephritis, including symptoms and current treatment options, click here.
The design of this Phase 3 trial is nearly identical to that of the company’s successful Phase 2 trial, which demonstrated the potential of voclosporin to increase the speed and remission rates in people with active LN over a span of 52 weeks.
Current treatment is just focused on symptom management, and the lupus nephritis community desperately needs another option.
In this way, voclosporin has the potential to change the current treatment model.
Voclosporin is a calcineurin inhibitor that blocks IL-2 expression and the T-cell mediated immune responses that contribute to lupus nephritis.
In layman’s terms, it works by suppressing the immune system of the patient.
The Chief Medical Officer of Aurinia said that the company,
“remain(s) dedicated to advancing this treatment and making a meaningful impact in the lives of patients suffering from LN and those around them.”
Hopefully, soon after the participants obtain remission and the highly anticipated AURORA study concludes, voclosporin will become a viable and transformative drug for patients suffering from lupus nephritis.
