The real-world use and effectiveness of avacopan in routine practice for the treatment of ANCA vasculitis. First experiences in Spain.

OBJECTIVES

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a group of chronic diseases with relapses that associate organic damage because of the disease and its treatment. Avacopan is a new treatment indicated for AAV. We present the first experiences with avacopan in Spain as part of an Early Access program.

METHODS

Patients with AAV who started avacopan between June 2022 and September 2023 were included. For comparison, a historical cohort of patients diagnosed with AAV around the same time and treated without avacopan was also included.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients treated with avacopan were analysed. Twelve patients (41.4%) were male, and median age was 56 years. Most patients were ANCA MPO positive (21/29, 72.4%). The most frequently affected organ was the kidney (23/29, 79.31%), with a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 23.2 ml/min. Mean follow-up was 456.8 (±181.7) days with a remission rate of 86.2%. eGFR increased from 23.2 (11.2) to 38.38 (18.55) ml/min after 12 months of diagnosis. Two patients had adverse events related to avacopan (severe neutropenia and a gastrointestinal affectation), 13 infections were reported and one death. Patients treated with avacopan received a significantly lower cumulative dose of prednisone at 6 and 12 months (P-values of 0.02 and <0.01, respectively) compared with historical controls. The evolution of GFR at 1 year of follow-up and the incidence of relapse were similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION

The combination of avacopan with standard immunosuppressive therapy presents a good safety profile and provides added value by contributing to the control of AAV activity, increase GFR and removal of steroids.