Clinical trials present new kidney disease and transplant treatments

Recent clinical data presented at ASN Kidney Week 2026 highlights several advancements in treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) and managing kidney transplants.

In the phase 3 TELIGAN trial, telitacicept demonstrated significant efficacy in treating IgA nephropathy. Over a two-year period, patients receiving telitacicept showed a much slower eGFR decline (−0.6 mL/min/1.73 m² per year) compared to those on placebo (−5.7 mL/min/1.73 m² per year). The study utilized an induction and maintenance dosing strategy to manage infection risks.

Analysis from the FIND-CKD trial regarding finerenone in non-diabetic CKD patients showed that the drug slowed total eGFR decline by 0.7 mL/min/1.73 m² per year compared to placebo. These benefits remained consistent even in patients concurrently using SGLT2 inhibitors, and the composite kidney-cardiovascular outcome was also reduced.

In transplant medicine, the phase 2 BESTOW trial evaluated tegoprubart, a novel anti-CD40L antibody therapy. Results indicated that tegoprubart was more effective at preserving kidney function than the current standard of care, tacrolimus, at the 18-month mark. Additionally, patients treated with tegoprubart reported greater improvements in health-related quality of life, potentially avoiding the side effects associated with tacrolimus, such as hypertension and kidney toxicity.