Mycophenolate mofetil plus tacrolimus most effective induction treatment for LN
Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in combination with tacrolimus was found to be the most effective induction treatment for patients with lupus nephritis (LN), according to a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The analysis compared the following as induction therapy for patients with lN:
-Voclosporin + MMF
-Tacrolimus + MMF
-Monotherapy with MMF or cyclophosphamide
A total of 4 randomized controlled trials including 936 patients in total were included. Tacrolimus + MMF and voclosporin + MMF were found to be more effective than monotherapy, whereas tacrolimus + MMF was found to be more effective than voclosporin + MMF.
The study found that based on severe event rates, monotherapy was the safest treatment followed by voclosporin + MMF and tacrolimus + MMF.
Reference
Lee YH, Song GG. A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of voclosporin or tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil as induction treatment for lupus nephritis. Z Rheumatol. 2021;doi: 10.1007/s00393-021-01087-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34545430.
