A recent investigation into an experimental therapy reveals that the drug may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) for a substantial portion of patients. The findings came from a clinical trial reported in a major medical journal.
The compound BI 690517 works by lowering aldosterone production. Aldosterone is a hormone that helps regulate the balance of sodium and potassium, which in turn influences blood pressure. In CKD, too much aldosterone can hasten kidney damage. CKD, formerly called chronic renal failure, is characterized by a gradual loss of the kidneys’ ability to filter wastes from the blood. As the disease advances, patients face a range of complications and may eventually require a kidney transplant.
The trial ran from February 2022 to July 2023 and enrolled 714 participants all diagnosed with CKD. After eight weeks of treatment, a meaningful drop in urine albumin levels—by 30 percent or more—was observed in half of the patients who received BI 690517 alone. Among those who received a combination of BI 690517 and the standard therapy empagliflozin, albumin reductions reached 70 percent of patients.
Researchers suggest that pairing BI 690517 with other medications could, in the future, reduce or even eliminate the need for dialysis in some CKD patients who depend on blood-filtering procedures. This potential shift would represent a significant advance in managing the disease and improving quality of life for many individuals.
There is also growing interest in noninvasive methods to monitor kidney health, offering alternatives to biopsy in certain scenarios. The evolving landscape of CKD treatment highlights how targeted therapies and explained mechanisms may reshape long-term care for patients worldwide.