24 September 2019 - - The US Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for adults with lupus nephritis, US-based biotechnology company Genentech said.

Genentech a member of Switzerland's Roche Group (SIX: RO) (OTCQX: RHHBY).

This designation was granted based on data from the Phase II NOBILITY study in adult patients with proliferative lupus nephritis which showed Gazyva, in combination with standard of care (mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid and corticosteroids), demonstrated enhanced efficacy compared to placebo plus standard of care alone in achieving complete renal response at one year.

Lupus nephritis is a potentially life-threatening manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus resulting from inflammation of the kidneys and is associated with a high risk of end-stage renal disease or death.

Breakthrough Therapy Designation is designed to accelerate the development and review of medicines intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions with preliminary evidence that indicates they may demonstrate a substantial improvement over existing therapies.

This is the 27th Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Genentech's portfolio of medicines.

Lupus nephritis overwhelmingly impacts women, particularly young women of color.

About 90% of those diagnosed with lupus are women, and African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American women are two to three times more likely than Caucasian women to get lupus.

Genentech said it is committed to addressing barriers to clinical trial participation and advancing inclusive research to create new standards for clinical studies.

Genentech is taking action to recruit a broader, more diverse population of participants into clinical trials, including diseases such as lupus nephritis, to ensure clinical trial participants more closely reflect those impacted by the disease for which a medicine is being studied.

The Phase II, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study, NOBILITY (NCT02550652), compares the safety and efficacy of Gazyva, combined with mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid and corticosteroids, to placebo, combined with MMF or MPA and corticosteroids, in adult patients with ISN/RPS 2003 class III or IV proliferative lupus nephritis.

The study enrolled 126 people who were randomized to receive Gazyva or placebo infusions on days 1, 15, 168, and 182. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants who achieved a protocol-defined complete renal response at 52 weeks.

The study met its primary endpoint, showing Gazyva, in combination with standard of care (mycophenolate mofetil or mycophenolic acid and corticosteroids), demonstrated enhanced efficacy compared to placebo plus standard of care alone in achieving complete renal response at one year.

In addition, Gazyva met key secondary endpoints showing improved overall renal responses (complete and partial renal response) and serologic markers of disease activity as compared to placebo.

No new safety signals were observed with Gazyva in the study at the time of this analysis. The full results from the study will be presented at a future medical meeting.

Lupus nephritis is a severe and potentially life-threatening disorder of the kidneys. Lupus nephritis is a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease where a person's own immune system attacks healthy cells and organs.

An estimated 1.5m Americans are affected by lupus, with approximately 70% of cases representing SLE. Up to 60% of people with SLE will develop lupus nephritis, and up to 25% of people with the condition develop end-stage renal disease.

Lupus nephritis overwhelmingly impacts women, particularly young women of color.

About 90% of those diagnosed with lupus are women, and African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American women are two to three times more likely than Caucasian women to get lupus. Currently, there is no cure for lupus or lupus nephritis.

Gazyva is an engineered monoclonal antibody designed to attach to CD20, a protein found only on certain types of B-cells.

It is thought to work by attacking targeted cells both directly and together with the body's immune system.

Gazyva is part of a collaboration between Genentech and Biogen.

Combination studies investigating Gazyva with other approved or investigational medicines, including cancer immunotherapies and small molecule inhibitors, are underway across a range of blood cancers.