{"id":5697,"date":"2025-11-03T23:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allphasepharma.com\/dir\/?p=5697"},"modified":"2025-11-03T23:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:56:20","slug":"comparison-of-baff-april-inhibitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allphasepharma.com\/dir\/2025\/11\/03\/5697\/comparison-of-baff-april-inhibitors\/","title":{"rendered":"COMPARISON OF BAFF \/ APRIL INHIBITORS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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First, a reminder where the name \u2018Berger\u2019s disease\u2019 or Morbus Berger comes from. It was Jean Berger, a French pathologist and doctor, who initially identified IgA deposits on the glomeruli of nephritic patients.  This was not so long ago; his publication (in French) dates from 1968.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the race is heating up among all those newer treatments for IgA nephropathy, also known as IgAN.  The market is forecast to explode to over US$ 3.4 bio within the next 8 years. A few drugs are already on the market with many more still to come.  The MoA of these drugs is quite diverse.  Some target the renal vasculature, others are immune inhibitors.  Some are complement blockers and others are degraders of (pathologic) IgA.[2]<\/a>  An overview of this emerging landscape is provided in a recent publication by Floege et al.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race is heating up, especially among the 3 BAFF\/APRIL inhibitors, all of which are in late stage development vying for approval in the US with the most competitive label. We are, of course, talking about atacicept, telitacicept, and povetacicept, together known as the tacicepts.  Of the three, atacicept has been around in development the longest. But it was telitacicept that beat atacicept to the market, at least in China.  Povetacicept is the third wheel on this tricycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months ahead we will be inundated with TV ads with actors advising us to do urine dipsticks for hematuria and proteinuria and – talk to your doctor!  While the disease, IgAN, is more prevalent in SEA and Japan than in Western countries, companies still stand to make most of their money with a US approval, not a China label.  Such is the effect of pricing restrictions in China that it more than offsets the \u2018volume effect\u2019 of a much larger population and a higher disease burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The global market for IgAN is forecast to reach US$ 3.238 bio by 2033 by one report, and as high as US$ 4.12 bio by 2035 in another. [4]<\/a>,[5]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Here we provide our impartial no-hype comparison of the efficacy profiles of the 3 tacicepts.  We are fairly certain that all 3 drugs will be efficacious in IgAN, achieving significant reduction in proteinuria and hematuria.  There may be some numerical differences but reduction in proteinuria by approx. 50% is feasible with all 3 drugs.  The big unknown is their longer-term effect on GFR \u2013 we just do not have enough data to tell whether and how much the slope returns to a \u2018normal\u2019 age-appropriate decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IgAN is a much under-diagnosed condition that progresses to kidney disease in an insidious manner.  Many patients are asymptomatic and less than half progress to CKD in a more aggressive fashion. There are many good reviews in the recent literature; as mentioned, interest in the disease has risen exponentially in recent years, because new treatments have emerged.[6]<\/a>  There still is no approved tacicept on the US market, but one can safely assume that we will see fierce competition, a lot of posters and teasers at the upcoming ASN Kidney Week meeting in Houston later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a direct comparison of the 3 contenders based on released Phase 3 trial data.  This table reflects the current status (November 2025), but we will periodically update the information and reduce the greyed-out areas as more Phase 3 info becomes available.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Comparison of Tacicepts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n