Kenneth Atkins's questions to Kezar Life Sciences (KZR) leadership • Q2 2020
Question
Kenneth Atkins of Cowen & Company asked for elaboration on why a 50% reduction in proteinuria is a clinically meaningful endpoint for lupus nephritis and questioned the reasons behind the high screen failure rate and discontinuation of the MARINA study.
Answer
Chief Medical Officer Noreen Henig explained that a 50% proteinuria reduction is a standard clinical trial endpoint that correlates with long-term benefit. Regarding the MARINA study, she clarified it was withdrawn because its highly selective inclusion criteria did not reflect real-world patients, resulting in zero enrollments. The decision was not based on new clinical data but on the need for a revised, more inclusive protocol.