Nephrology
OTHER
Obinutuzumab helped one patient with kidney disease after rituximab did not work
Frontiers in Medicine
Published April 1, 2026
This is a detailed report about one patient's experience. A 33-year-old woman with a kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was treated. Her condition causes protein to leak into the urine. She first received a drug called rituximab, which only led to a temporary improvement. When her symptoms returned, doctors tried a different, similar drug called obinutuzumab.
After two doses of obinutuzumab, tests showed her protein leakage dropped significantly and her blood protein levels improved, meaning she achieved complete remission. About ten months later, when her protein levels began to rise again, a single repeat dose of obinutuzumab successfully brought her back into remission. The report states no side effects were observed in this case.
The main reason to be careful is that this is just one person's story. A single case report cannot tell us if obinutuzumab is effective or safe for other people with FSGS. It also does not prove it is better than rituximab. Long-term effects are completely unknown.
Readers should understand this as an interesting observation from one patient's care. It suggests a possibility for future research but is not evidence for a new treatment. Anyone with a similar condition should discuss all treatment options with their own doctor, as this report does not provide general medical advice.
View Original Abstract ↓
IntroductionPodocytopathies such as minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) remain therapeutic challenges in adults. Although corticosteroids and rituximab (RTX), a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, are effective in most patients, up to 10% show resistance or relapse despite B-cell depletion. Obinutuzumab (OBZ), a humanized type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, achieves deeper and more sustained B-cell depletion and may overcome RTX inadequate response.Case reportA 33-year-old woman presented with nephrotic syndrome (proteinuria 7.1 g/24 h, serum albumin 2.6 g/dL, preserved renal function). Kidney biopsy revealed primary FSGS. She achieved only partial remission with corticosteroids and cyclosporine. RTX (1 g × 2 doses) induced transient peripheral B-cell depletion but no complete remission. A second biopsy excluded chronic changes, and genetic testing for hereditary podocytopathy was negative. Thus 67 weeks after diagnosis and initial treatment with persistent proteinuria > 1g/24 h and hypoalbuminemia, the patient received OBZ (1 g × 2 doses, two weeks apart). Two months later, she achieved complete remission (proteinuria 0.2 g/24 h, serum albumin 3.7 g/dL), with sustained B-cell depletion and no adverse events. A repeat administration of OBZ (1 g) was performed 10 months later due to B-cell repopulation, rising proteinuria (0.6 g/24 h), and mild hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin 3.4 g/dL), successfully re-inducing complete remission (proteinuria 0.2 g/24 h, serum albumin 3.8 g/dL).DiscussionThis case illustrates the potential of OBZ as an effective therapeutic option in podocytopathies with RTX inadequate response. The superior efficacy of OBZ may result from enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, depletion of tissue-resident B cells, and reduced immunogenicity compared with RTX. OBZ may thus offer an alternative in refractory MCD/FSGS.
