A study of the experimental drug found that it could slow chronic kidney disease in 50-70% of patients. Results published on: Lancet.
The substance BI 690517 suppresses the production of aldosterone, a hormone responsible for balancing the body’s sodium and potassium levels, thereby regulating blood pressure. However, excess aldosterone accelerates the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this disease, formerly known as chronic renal failure, the filtration capacity of the kidney gradually decreases. This is accompanied by many complications and may ultimately lead to the need for a kidney transplant.
The study started in February 2022 and ended in July 2023. All 714 participants were diagnosed with CKD. After eight weeks of treatment, a clinically significant decrease in urine albumin levels (30% or more) occurred in half of the participants receiving BI 690517 alone. In the group receiving both BI 609517 and the standard treatment (empagliflozin), albumin levels decreased in 70% of patients.
The study’s authors believe that the right combination of BI 690517 with other drugs in the foreseeable future could make the dialysis procedure currently used to filter the blood of patients with CKD unnecessary.
Previously found A way to assess kidney health without a biopsy.