Kidney failure drugs which could benefit more than 1m type 2 diabetics given go-ahead in England
More than a million people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease could benefit from a daily pill that reduces the risk of kidney failure
- Health leaders give green light to drug finerenone to treat diabetics with kidney disease
- 3.5 million Britons have type 2 diabetes – 40% will develop chronic kidney disease
More than a million people who have both type 2 diabetes and kidney disease could benefit from a daily pill that reduces the risk of kidney failure, heart complications and death.
About one in 50 diabetics develop kidney failure — when high sugar levels damage the organ’s blood vessels, preventing them from filtering toxins.
Malfunctioning kidneys also put an undue burden on the heart, dramatically increasing the risk of heart failure. And traditional treatments can have unintended consequences for heart health, as well as other unpleasant side effects like sore throat and dizziness.
But now England’s health chiefs have given the go-ahead for the drug finerenone to treat type 2 diabetes patients with advanced stages of kidney disease. The drug slows kidney damage and is much less likely to cause serious heart problems.
The Mail on Sunday reported on expert calls for finerenone to be approved in December, following Scotland’s decision to approve the drug.
More than a million people who have both type 2 diabetes and kidney disease could benefit from a daily pill that reduces the risk of kidney failure, heart complications and death
‘There has been a long unmet need for additional treatment options for people with type 2 diabetes-associated kidney disease,’ says Dr Kieran McCafferty, nephrologist consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust. “The risk of heart disease remains high, despite current therapies being offered. This news is very welcome and offers us an important opportunity to slow the progression of kidney disease.’
About 3.5 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, which often develops due to heredity, obesity and lack of exercise. About 40 percent of patients diagnosed will develop chronic kidney disease. This is believed to be because high blood sugars cause the kidneys to produce a hormone called aldosterone.
Studies show that an excess of this hormone can lead to heart scarring, causing permanent damage and increasing the risk of heart disease. Previously, patients were treated with drugs called ACE inhibitors, which lower aldosterone and improve blood flow to the heart. But these can increase the level of the mineral potassium in the body, which can increase the risk of a heart attack.
A Canadian study published last year in the New England Journal Of Medicine estimated that about one-third of patients treated with ACE inhibitors have to stop taking them because of heart damage. With finerenone, only two percent suffer from heart problems, tests have shown.
In the past five years, some doctors have gained access to new drugs that also slow the decline but are known to cause urinary tract infections.
‘Finerenone is another vital tool in our armour,’ says Professor Sunil Bhandari, nephrologist consultant at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and trustee of the Kidney Research UK charity.
‘Five years ago we had little to offer patients other than ACE inhibitors. Now we can try patients newer drugs that slow the progression of the disease a little bit, and then switch them to finerenone if those drugs are causing problems. We are buying more and more time.’
England’s health chiefs have given the green light to the drug finerenone (pictured) to treat type 2 diabetes patients with advanced kidney disease
The drug’s approval, by health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is based on the results of a study involving more than 5,700 patients. In a month’s time, the tablet slowed the decline in kidney function by 40 percent and reduced the risk of death by just under 20 percent. After two and a half years, those taking veneerone were 14 percent less likely to die from heart disease than those taking a dummy pill.
Now, finerenone is becoming the standard treatment for people with stage three and four kidney disease – when it is most effective.
One patient who will be affected by the drug’s approval is Anthony Price, a 67-year-old from Birmingham who has had type 2 diabetes for 30 years and kidney disease for 10 years.
He gained access to the drug through a trial three years ago, took the pill every day, and says he had no side effects or heart or kidney complications. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday in December, he said: “I hope I’m put back on it when it’s approved.”