Immunoglobulin A nephropathy causes inflammation in the kidneys due to the accumulation of immunoglobulin A antibodies in the tissue. Tissue damage gradually develops, leading to blood and protein leakage into the urine. Scientists at the pharmaceutical company Otsuka have been developing VOYXACT for many years to slow the progression of the disease.
According to clinical trial results, VOYXACT reduced proteinuria—a key indicator of disease progression—by 51% in patients over nine months of treatment, according to the developer's website. VOYXACT is self-administered subcutaneously every four weeks.
The drug became the first approved treatment for patients with primary immunoglobulin nephropathy type A. The approval was based on interim results from phase III clinical trials involving more than 500 patients. Scientists also plan to determine whether the treatment slows the decline in kidney function over the long term.
Immunoglobulin nephropathy type A typically manifests between the ages of 20 and 40 and can progress to end-stage renal failure. Currently, only adjuvant treatments are available to slow the progression of the chronic disease.
Previously, other scientists reported success in treating another chronic disease, polycystic kidney disease: a new therapy halted the progression of the disease.
