Tegoprubart Shows Promise in Improving Quality of Life for Kidney Transplant Patients Researchers have found that tegoprubart, an investigational anti-CD40 ligand (CD40L) antibody, may offer a better quality of life for adults receiving their first kidney transplant compared to tacrolimus. The findings, presented at ASN Kidney Week 2026 in Denver, Colorado, are based on patient-reported outcome (PRO) data from the phase 2 BESTOW trial. According to the study, tegoprubart was associated with greater improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fewer medication-related symptoms than tacrolimus. The trial involved 127 patients, with 107 completing the study treatment through week 52. At week 52, HRQoL improved from baseline across all 5 KDQOL-SF 36 subscales with tegoprubart, compared with 4 of 5 subscales with tacrolimus. The researchers used the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36-Item Short-Form (KDQOL-SF 36) and the Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress scale (MTSOSD-59R) to assess PROs. The results showed that patients receiving tegoprubart had a numerically greater reduction in total symptom score from baseline vs tacrolimus at week 25, and the difference was more pronounced by week 52. The study's findings add a patient-centered dimension to the kidney function and metabolic safety advantages previously reported with tegoprubart. However, confirmation in larger, blinded trials will be needed to establish whether these quality-of-life gains hold up as tegoprubart advances in development.