Efficacy and Safety of Nefecon on Prevention of Relapse of IgA Nephropathy (NeFRIN)

August 30, 2026 updated by: Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Efficacy and Safety of Nefecon on Prevention of Relapse of IgA Nephropathy: a Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a chronic progressive kidney disease, and long-term control of proteinuria and prevention of relapse are crucial for delaying disease progression. Patients with IgAN who achieve proteinuria remission after receiving Nefecon for 9 months or longer still face the risk of proteinuria relapse after treatment discontinuation. This study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nefecon 8 mg treatment for 15 months as a maintenance therapy to reduce the risk of IgAN relapse in proteinuria-remitted patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
288

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510515
        • Recruiting
        • Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed primary IgAN with biopsy verification;
  • Female or male participants ≥18 years of age;
  • Completion of ≥9 months of Nefecon 16 mg QD at the baseline visit;
  • Proteinuria ≥ 1g/d prior to initiation of Nefecon;
  • Proteinuria<0.5 g/day (or UPCR <0.5 g/g) at screening and randomization visit;
  • eGFR ≥30 ml/min/1.73m² at screening;
  • On stable treatment with supportive treatment (including RAASi, SGLT2i, ERA) for at least 1 month prior to the baseline visit;

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Systemic diseases that may cause mesangial immunoglobulin A deposition, including but not limited to IgA vasculitis nephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatitis herpetiformis, ankylosing spondylitis, and others;
  • Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus;
  • Presence of primary or secondary glomerulopathies (e.g., membranous nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, C3 glomerulopathy and others);
  • Active infection, severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C), congestive heart failure, and malignant tumor within the past 5 years;
  • On current or planned dialysis or kidney transplantation;
  • Participants who have been treated with systemic glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents within the past 3 months, including mycophenolate mofetil, hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, leflunomide, calcineurin inhibitors, and Chinese traditional medicines with immunosuppressive effects (such as Tripterygium wilfordii, Sinomenium acutum, Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets, Kunxian Capsules, Kunming Shanhaitang Tablets, etc.); treatment with B-cell targeted biological agents (such as telitacicept and sibeprenlimab, etc.); complement pathway inhibitors, etc.;
  • Poorly controlled hypertension (resting systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg);
  • Participants taking potent inhibitors of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 within the past 1 month, such as ketoconazole, itraconazole, ritonavir, indinavir, saquinavir, erythromycin, or cyclosporine;
  • Females who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant in the trial period.
  • Any other conditions that, in the investigator's judgment, make the patient ineligible for this clinical study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Control
Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Placebo oral capsule once daily by mouth for 15 months
Experimental: Treatment arm
NEFECON
Drug: NEFECON
NEFECON 8mg once daily by mouth for 15 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to first composite disease relapse
Time Frame: 15 months
either a ≥100% increase in UPCR and an absolute UPCR ≥0.5 g/g, or a ≥30% decline in eGFR from randomization
15 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
eGFR slope
Time Frame: 15 months
eGFR slope from baseline to Month 15
15 months
Changes in UPCR and 24-hour urinary protein
Time Frame: 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 Months
Changes in UPCR and 24-hour urinary protein from baseline to Months 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15
3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 Months
Major adverse kidney events
Time Frame: 15 months
The proportion of patients with the first occurrence of major adverse kidney events within 15 months, defined as the occurrence of any one of the following: eGFR ≤15 ml/min/1.73m², maintenance dialysis, kidney transplantation, ≥30% decrease in eGFR, or kidney-related death
15 months
The proportion of patients with UPCR ≥0.5 g/g
Time Frame: 15 months
The proportion of patients with sustained UPCR ≥0.5 g/g
15 months
The proportion of patients with UPCR ≥1 g/g
Time Frame: 15 months
The proportion of patients with sustained UPCR ≥1 g/g
15 months
All-cause mortality
Time Frame: 15 months
All-cause mortality
15 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 23, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 30, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NFEC-2026-268

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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