Aurinia Presents Data Reinforcing LUPKYNIS Safety and Efficacy for People with Lupus Nephritis at Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East 2024

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH) (Aurinia or the Company), today announced the presentation of two studies at the annual Congress of Clinical Rheumatology (CCR) East 2024 taking place in Destin, FL, May 9-12. The data reinforce previous findings on the safety and effectiveness of LUPKYNIS (voclosporin), a second generation calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), in combination with MMF and steroids, for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis (LN), as shown in the AURORA Clinical Program.

A propensity analysis of the Aspreva Lupus Management Study (ALMS), AURA-LV, and AURORA 1 studies suggested that LUPKYNIS plus standard of care demonstrated superior reductions in proteinuria and reduced patient exposure to toxicities compared with higher doses of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and glucocorticoids or cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids alone. Safety and efficacy outcomes for propensity-matched patients with active LN from the AURA-LV plus AURORA 1 studies were assessed at three and six months. Patients who received the LUPKYNIS-based regimen experienced reductions in exposure to glucocorticoids and more patients achieved a >50% urine protein creatinine ratio reduction from baseline compared to their propensity-matched counterparts in ALMS.

“Early reduction in proteinuria after initial treatment has been associated with improved long-term kidney outcomes in lupus nephritis,” said Dr. Greg Keenan, Chief Medical Officer of Aurinia. “These data provide further support for use of LUPKYNIS plus standard of care as an initial treatment option for appropriate patients with active LN, consistent with the updated 2023 EULAR guidelines. These insights should help rheumatologists implement more effective treatment plans for their LN patients.”

In a subset analysis of three years of data from the AURORA Clinical Program, 44.4% of Black patients treated with LUPKYNIS, MMF, and steroids experienced an improvement in complete renal response at 36 months (n=18) compared to 14.3% of Black patients who achieved complete renal response when treated with MMF and glucocorticoids alone (n= 7 OR: 4.17 (CI 0.41, >9.99), p=0.22). These findings among Black patients, a population that often experiences worse outcomes and lower responses to LN treatment, are consistent with the treatment response seen across all racial and ethnic groups treated with the addition of LUPKYNIS to the standard of care in the AURORA Clinical Program.