Germany’s Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) is looking to end kidney failure before it even begins with two unique drugs.
Initially developed to treat diabetes, these can help treat important contributors to kidney function deterioration.
Technical Details
The drug classes of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues have the potential to address two of the most critical risk factors for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, which needs life-saving dialysis to eliminate toxins and excess fluid from the blood.
AstraZeneca and Other Companies’ Contributions
The SGLT2 inhibitors, which include AstraZeneca’s Farxiga as well as Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s Jardiance, have been shown to halt the decrease of renal function and are predicted to achieve annual sales of more than $3.5 billion in the coming years.
Farxiga was approved last year for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Following a successful CKD study in March, Jardiance is likely to obtain access to the same market.
Likewise, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injection, a repurposed diabetic medicine with much greater commercial potential, has been demonstrated to help overweight persons lose 35 pounds or more, lowering a significant risk factor for kidney disease.
Reducing Treatment Costs
Kidney failure patients requiring regular dialysis means that it’s a recurring cost, which adds up to a huge amount over time. With these drugs, kidney failure could be potentially prevented, eliminating these costs entirely. Not only will this benefit the patients, it would also alleviate the load on healthcare systems around the world.
However, it all depends on how effective these drugs are. Only time will tell if these can help prevent kidney failure altogether.
