On Dec. 15, 2020, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced the funding and initiation of an open-label exploratory trial evaluating the antiviral effects of voclosporin in kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) ﾖ the VOCOVID study.

Organ transplant recipients who contract COVID-19 are at greater risk for complications due to the requirement of daily immunosuppressive medications to prevent organ rejection. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), like voclosporin, have been shown in prior in vitro studies to inhibit viral replication.