Aurinia Releases Additional 48-Week Data from the AURA-LV Study During Late-Breaking Session at the National Kidney Foundation 2017 Spring Clinical Meetings -Continued improvements in renal and extra-renal outcomes -100%

Releases Additional 48-Week Data from the AURA-LV Study During

Late-Breaking Session at the National Kidney Foundation 2017 Spring

improvements in renal and extra-renal outcomes

of patients in complete remission at week 24 stay in complete remission

at week 48 while on low-dose voclosporin

function remained stable across both voclosporin groups

webcast at 6:15pm ET

VICTORIA, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2017--Aurinia

Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH / TSX:AUP) ("Aurinia" or the

"Company") a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the

global immunology market, today announced additional 48-week results

from its global Phase IIb AURA-LV (AURA) study in lupus nephritis (LN)

during the National Kidney Foundation 2017 Spring Clinical Meetings in

Orlando, FL. In addition to the trial meeting its complete and partial

remission ("CR"/"PR") endpoints at 48 weeks, all pre-specified secondary

endpoints that have been analyzed to date were also met at 48 weeks.

These pre-specified endpoints include: time to CR and PR (speed of

remission); reduction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity

Index or SLEDAI score; and reduction in urine protein creatinine ratio

(UPCR) over the 48-week treatment period. The data were presented during

the late-breaking session by lead author Dr. Samir Parikh, a clinical

investigator for the study and Assistant Professor of Clinical

Nephrology at the Ohio State University.

Each arm of the study included the current standard of care of

mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) as background therapy and a forced steroid

taper. Both doses of voclosporin at 48 weeks demonstrated continued

improvement over the control group across multiple dimensions. Notably,

the voclosporin groups demonstrated statistically significantly improved

speed and rates of CR and PR. Of the patients that achieved CR at 24

weeks, in the low-dose voclosporin group, 100% remained in CR at 48

weeks, which demonstrates durability of clinical response. Proteinuria

levels and reduction in SLEDAI scores, which include non-renal measures

of lupus activity, also continued to significantly separate over time

versus the control group. Additional analyses are ongoing and will be

presented at future medical and scientific meetings.

No unexpected safety signals were observed and voclosporin was generally

well-tolerated, with the nature of adverse events consistent with what

is expected of patients suffering from highly active LN while undergoing

immunomodulation-based therapy. In the voclosporin arms, the renal

function as measured by eGFR was stable and not significantly different

from the control arm during the 48-week treatment period. Mean blood

pressure was also similar between all treatment groups.

"The most exciting aspect of this data is that voclosporin is the first

treatment candidate to successfully meet all of its clinical endpoints

in a global, prospective LN trial," said Dr. Samir Parikh, a clinical

investigator for the study and Assistant Professor, Clinical Nephrology

at the Ohio State University. "Voclosporin, when added to standard of

care, achieved the highest complete remission rate of any global, active

LN trial, and this was accomplished with extremely low-dose steroid

exposure. The possibility of achieving a better clinical response while

avoiding the significant side effects associated with prolonged exposure

to high dose steroids has the potential to be a game-changer in the

"We are pleased by the recognition of the medical and scientific

communities of the AURA study results. Beyond the remission rates we've

shown with voclosporin, the significant improvement in SLEDAI scores

points towards a durable, immunological effect on a broad range of

clinically meaningful lupus outcomes," said Neil Solomons, MD, Aurinia's

Chief Medical Officer. "This data provides us with tremendous confidence

that we can execute a successful Phase III program and make a meaningful

impact on patients' lives."

The 24 and 48-week efficacy results are summarized below:

*All p-values are vs control

Aurinia will host a webcast today, April 20,

2017 at 6:15pm Eastern Daylight Time. A live webcast of the event, with

slides, will be available on the Investors section of the Company's

website at http://ir.auriniapharma.com/ir-calendar.

Voclosporin, an investigational drug,

is a novel and potentially best-in-class calcineurin inhibitor ("CNI")

with clinical data in over 2,200 patients across indications.

Voclosporin is an immunosuppressant, with a synergistic and dual

mechanism of action that has the potential to improve near- and

long-term outcomes in LN when added to standard of care (MMF). By

inhibiting calcineurin, voclosporin blocks IL-2 expression and T-cell

mediated immune responses. It is made by a modification of a single

amino acid of the cyclosporine molecule which has shown a more

predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationship, an

increase in potency, an altered metabolic profile, and potential for

flat dosing. The Company anticipates that upon regulatory approval,

patent protection for voclosporin will be extended in the United States

and certain other major markets, including Europe and Japan, until at

least October 2027 under the Hatch-Waxman Act and comparable laws in

About Lupus Nephritis (LN)

LN in an inflammation of the

kidney caused by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ("SLE") and represents a

serious progression of SLE. SLE is a chronic, complex and often

disabling disorder and affects more than 500,000 people in the United

States (mostly women). The disease is highly heterogeneous, affecting a

wide range of organs & tissue systems. It is estimated that as many as

60% of all SLE patients have clinical LN requiring treatment. Unlike

SLE, LN has straightforward disease outcomes where an early response

correlates with long-term outcomes, measured by proteinuria. In patients

with LN, renal damage results in proteinuria and/or hematuria and a

decrease in renal function as evidenced by reduced estimated glomerular

filtration rate (eGFR), and increased serum creatinine levels. LN is

debilitating and costly and if poorly controlled, LN can lead to

permanent and irreversible tissue damage within the kidney, resulting in

end-stage renal disease (ESRD), thus making LN a serious and potentially

life-threatening condition.

Aurinia is a clinical stage