Furie RA, Aroca G, Cascino MD, et al. - Patients with lupus nephritis (LN) who were treated with obinutuzumab (a humanised type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that induces potent B-cell depletion) plus standard therapies experienced improved renal responses through week 104, relative to those who received standard therapies alone. Good tolerability of obinutuzumab was evident, with no new safety signals.

• This study included 125 patients with LN taking mycophenolate and corticosteroids.

• Patients were randomly assigned to obinutuzumab 1000 mg or placebo on day 1 and weeks 2, 24 and 26, and followed through week 104.

• At week 52 and week 104, a greater complete renal response achievement was evident with obinutuzumab vs placebo.

• Obinutuzumab led to greater improvements in other renal response measures, serologies, estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria.

• No increase in serious adverse events, serious infections or deaths was evident with obinutuzumab.