Targeting the Alternative Complement Pathway With Iptacopan to Treat IgA Nephropathy: Design and Rationale of the APPLAUSE-IgAN Study

Dana V Rizk; Brad H Rovin; Hong Zhang; Naoki Kashihara; Bart Maes; Hernán Trimarchi; Vlado Perkovic; Matthias Meier; Dmitrij Kollins; Olympia Papachristofi; Alan Charney; Jonathan Barratt

doi:10.1016/j.ekir.2023.01.041

Targeting the Alternative Complement Pathway With Iptacopan to Treat IgA Nephropathy: Design and Rationale of the APPLAUSE-IgAN Study

Kidney Int Rep. 2023 Feb 9;8(5):968-979. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2023.01.041. eCollection 2023 May.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
² Division of Nephrology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
³ Renal Division, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University Institute of Nephrology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.
⁵ Department of Nephrology, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium.
⁶ Nephrology Service and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁷ University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁸ Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.
⁹ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and The John Walls Renal Unit, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.

Abstract

Introduction: Targeting the alternative complement pathway (AP) is an attractive therapeutic strategy because of its role in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) pathophysiology. Iptacopan (LNP023), a proximal complement inhibitor that specifically binds to factor B and inhibits the AP, reduced proteinuria and attenuated AP activation in a Phase 2 study of patients with IgAN, thereby supporting the rationale for its evaluation in a Phase 3 study.

Methods: APPLAUSE-IgAN (NCT04578834) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 3 study enrolling approximately 450 adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with biopsy-confirmed primary IgAN at high risk of progression to kidney failure despite optimal supportive treatment. Eligible patients receiving stable and maximally tolerated doses of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) will be randomized 1:1 to either iptacopan 200 mg or placebo twice daily for a 24-month treatment period. A prespecified interim analysis (IA) will be performed when approximately 250 patients from the main study population complete the 9-month visit. The primary objective is to demonstrate superiority of iptacopan over placebo in reducing 24-hour urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) at the IA and demonstrate the superiority of iptacopan over placebo in slowing the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline (total eGFR slope) estimated over 24 months at study completion. The effect of iptacopan on patient-reported outcomes, safety, and tolerability will be evaluated as secondary outcomes.

Conclusions: APPLAUSE-IgAN will evaluate the benefits and safety of iptacopan, a novel targeted therapy for IgAN, in reducing complement-mediated kidney damage and thus slowing or preventing disease progression.

Keywords: Factor B; IgAN; alternative complement pathway; eGFR slope; iptacopan (LNP023); proteinuria.