May Literature Highlights
Single slide summaries of all this month's selected publications.
Stay up to date with our literature reviews which are curated by experts to feature the most important publications released each month. Explore our publications for access to concise summary slides for your own use.
Single slide summaries of all this month's selected publications.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2023; online ahead of print DOI: 10.2215/CJN.0000000000000149
Patients with stage 4 CKD and T2D have limited treatment options to reduce their persistent CV and kidney risk. This post hoc analysis of the FIDELITY database evaluated the effect of finerenone vs placebo in 890 patients with stage 4 CKD and T2D.
Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023; online ahead of print DOI: 10.1111/dom.14999
Given the role of HbA1c, diabetes duration and insulin use in determining morbidity and mortality of CKD in T2D, it is important to investigate whether these factors modify the efficacy and safety of therapies that mitigate the cardiorenal impact of CKD in T2D. This post hoc analysis of the FIDELITY database evaluated the effect of finerenone by baseline HbA1c, HbA1c variability, diabetes duration and baseline insulin use on cardiorenal outcomes and diabetes progression.
Diabetes Care. 2023; online ahead of print DOI: 10.2337/dc22-1514
Achieving optimal glucose control can be challenging in patients with T2D and CKD because impaired kidney function hampers the use of several oral or injectable glucose-lowering therapies (GLTs) and increases the likelihood of hypoglycaemia. This prespecified analysis from the DAPA-CKD trial evaluated whether the benefits of dapagliflozin in patients with T2D and CKD varied by background GLT number or class.
J Hypertens. 2023;41:295–302 DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003330
It has been postulated that the effects of finerenone on cardiorenal outcomes may be mediated primarily via non-haemodynamic pathways, but office BP measurements are insufficient to fully assess haemodynamic effects. A substudy of the ARTS-DN phase IIb trial was conducted to obtain further insights into the mechanism of action of finerenone by analysing 24-h ambulatory BP in patients with CKD and T2D.
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother. 2022; online ahead of print DOI: 10.1093/ehjcvp/pvac054
Finerenone reduced the risk of CV and kidney outcomes consistently across the spectrum of CKD in patients with T2D, irrespective of prevalent ASCVD.
Diabetes Care 2022; online ahead of print doi: 10.2337/dc22-0294
In the FIDELITY analysis, finerenone reduced the risk of cardiovascular and kidney outcomes compared with placebo. Concomitant treatment with a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) did not modify the observed benefits.
FIDELITY pooled populations from the FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD studies in order to examine the effect of finerenone and interaction with SGLT2i use on prespecified outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). In both trial, use of SGLT2i was permitted at baseline, as was initiation of SGLT2i at any time during the trial.
Nephrol Dial Transplant 2022;37:1261-9 doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfab336
This analysis highlights the pitfalls of direct comparisons between trials, since when key differences in design are considered, FIDELIO-DKD and CREDENCE demonstrate similar cardiorenal benefits. The authors conclude that both canagliflozin and finerenone are similarly effective in reducing the risk of cardiorenal outcomes.
Nephrol Dial Transplant 2022 Jun 14;gfac198. Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfac198.
CONFIDENCE is a new trial currently recruiting. The aim is to demonstrate that 6 months’ dual therapy with finerenone and empagliflozin is superior for reducing albuminuria versus either agent alone.
Despite available interventions, people with T2D remain at risk of chronic kidney disease, which puts them at further risk of kidney failure, CV morbidity, and all-cause mortality. There is therefore a need to slow or attenuate the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and reduce CV morbidity and mortality in this population.
Finerenone and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) can both reduce kidney and CV risks, acting via both shared and distinct pathophysiological pathways. Results from post hoc subgroup analyses and a preclinical model suggest dual therapy may provide additive renoprotective effects than using either class alone.
Diabetes 2022;71:812–20 doi.org/10.2337/db21-0721
In this analysis of data from the SIMPLE trial, empagliflozin did not reduce left heart filling pressure more than placebo at submaximal exercise in patients with T2D at high CV risk. However, it was observed that empagliflozin reduced pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) at a magnitude of clinical significance in patients at rest. The findings suggest cardiac benefits beyond the diuretic effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) treatment and could explain a significant part of the CV benefits observed in clinical trials.
Circulation 2022;145:575–85 doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055459
In this analysis by Shaman et al., semaglutide and liraglutide offered kidney-protective effects in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those with pre-existing chronic kidney disease.