Drug to prevent organ rejection after kidney transplant tops standard treatment in trial

A trial presented at the American Transplant Congress suggests an experimental immunosuppressant could improve outcomes after kidney transplant compared with tacrolimus. Eledon Pharmaceuticals’ tegoprubart selectively blocks activation in the CD40L pathway, while the current standard-of-care tacrolimus broadly affects the immune system. In a long-term follow-up of patients from a 12-month mid-stage trial, those treated with tegoprubart showed superior kidney function from one month onward versus the tacrolimus group. The results reported no graft loss and no biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes after the first six months, compared with about 64% in the tacrolimus group. Side effects were less frequent: 2% reported headache or acute kidney injury with tegoprubart, versus 12% and 6% for tacrolimus, respectively. Eledon said it plans a late-stage trial later this year, and researchers also shared early findings on tegoprubart in diabetic patients undergoing pancreatic islet cell transplantation. Separate presentations described antibodies that may support vaccine or treatment development for West Nile virus.