Kidney disease study stops early due to treatment success
A trial into chronic kidney disease will stop earlier than planned due to evidence the trial treatment is more effective than the placebo.
The EMPA-KIDNEY trial will stop early after an assessment by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee which showed that empagliflozin was more effective than the placebo, or dummy drug.
Detailed results published later this year will show whether the treatment is beneficial to specific groups of patients and if there are concerns about side effects.
The study is testing whether empagliflozin, a medicine normally used for type 2 diabetes, prevents worsening of chronic kidney disease (CKD), deaths from heart disease or hospitalisation due to heart failure.
Previous clinical trials have shown similar drugs, called sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, help reduce the risk of kidney disease becoming worse in certain patients. EMPA-KIDNEY is the largest trial of these drugs and includes patients with varying levels of kidney function, with and without diabetes and with various underlying causes.
About one third of CKD cases are caused by conditions such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Most deaths result from heart-related complications. When kidney disease worsens, individuals may need regular dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Professor Richard Haynes, Co-Principal Investigator, said: “We are thrilled that the trial has shown that empagliflozin is beneficial among the patients studied in EMPA-KIDNEY. We are very grateful to all of the participants who have made this trial possible and look forward to sharing detailed trial results later this year.”
Associate Professor William Herrington, EMPA-KIDNEY Co-Principal Investigator, said: “Worldwide five to ten million people die each year from chronic kidney disease and many lives are severely disrupted by dialysis treatment. We studied a wide range of patients with declining kidney function with the aim of delaying the need for dialysis and avoiding heart disease in as many of them as possible.”
Read more on the study website.
