New drug shows promise for millions with kidney disease

Most people rarely think about their kidneys until they stop working as they should. Yet these organs play a vital role every day, filtering waste from the blood and helping keep the body in balance. That is why new research on chronic kidney disease is attracting significant attention.

Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen have published findings in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that the drug finerenone could become an important treatment option for people with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes.

Slowing the disease

The international FIND-CKD trial included 1,584 adults with chronic kidney disease but no diabetes. Every participant had reduced kidney function and elevated levels of protein in the urine, an early sign that kidney damage may continue to progress, reports Science Daily.

Participants received either finerenone or a placebo while continuing their standard treatment. They were followed for just over three years to assess how their kidney function changed over time.

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Encouraging results

According to the researchers, patients treated with finerenone experienced a slower decline in kidney function than those given a placebo. The study also found a lower risk of serious kidney complications, heart failure and cardiovascular-related death among those receiving the drug.

Researchers additionally reported a substantial reduction in urinary protein levels, an important indicator that the disease may progress more slowly.

A wider impact

Previous clinical trials mainly focused on people with type 2 diabetes. However, the new findings indicate that finerenone may also benefit the much larger group of patients with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes.

With an estimated 800 million people worldwide living with chronic kidney disease, and more than half of them being non-diabetic, the results could help expand future treatment options if confirmed by further research.

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