Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition in which the kidneys lose their ability to filter waste and extra fluid from the blood. While diabetes is one of the most common causes of CKD, millions of people develop the disease for other reasons, including high blood pressure, inherited conditions, immune disorders, or unknown causes. Until now, treatment options for people with CKD who do not have diabetes have been limited, which left many patients with a higher risk of worsening kidney function and eventually needing dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Now, a new international study has brought encouraging news. Researchers found that a once-daily pill called finerenone helped slow the decline in kidney function among adults with chronic kidney disease who did not have diabetes. The findings suggest that this medicine could become an important treatment option for a group of patients who had fewer choices previously. Although the drug is not a cure, experts believe it may help keep kidneys working for longer and lower the chances of serious kidney-related complications.

What Is Finerenone?

Finerenone is a prescription medicine that blocks the harmful effects of a hormone called aldosterone. High levels of this hormone can cause inflammation and scarring in the kidneys and heart. By reducing these effects, finerenone helps protect the kidneys from further damage. The drug has already been approved in several countries for people with chronic kidney disease linked to type 2 diabetes. The latest research shows it may also benefit patients who have CKD without diabetes.

What Did The New Study Find?

The FIND-CKD trial included adults with chronic kidney disease who did not have diabetes. Participants received either finerenone or a placebo while continuing their regular treatment. They were followed for about 32 months.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that people taking finerenone experienced a slower decline in their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a key measure of kidney function. This means their kidneys kept working better for a longer period compared with those who received the placebo. The study also suggested a lower risk of major kidney and cardiovascular events, offering additional protection beyond simply slowing kidney damage.

Lambers Heerspink of the University Medical Center Groningen and lead researcher of the study, said, "The presence of protein in the urine is often an important and early sign of kidney damage. In the finerenone group, it decreased by an average of over 41 per cent, compared to about 9 percent in the placebo group. More than half of the patients who received finerenone achieved a reduction of at least 30 percent in the amount of protein in their urine. Such a reduction is an important indicator of a more favorable renal prognosis."

Why Is This Important?

Many people with chronic kidney disease do not have diabetes, yet treatment choices for them have been more limited than for patients with diabetes. Slowing the loss of kidney function is extremely important because it can delay the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant and improve quality of life.

Doctors have long focused on controlling blood pressure, reducing salt intake, and using medicines such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs to protect the kidneys. The new findings suggest that finerenone could become another important option that works alongside these existing treatments, giving patients a better chance of preserving kidney function over time.

Are There Any Side Effects?

Like all medicines, finerenone is not suitable for everyone. One of the most important possible side effects is an increase in blood potassium levels, which can become dangerous if not monitored. Doctors usually recommend regular blood tests to check kidney function and potassium levels during treatment.

Patients should never start or stop this medicine without medical advice. A healthcare provider will decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks based on the patient's kidney health, other medical conditions, and current medications.

The research was led by clinical pharmacologist Hiddo Lambers Heerspink of the University Medical Center Groningen and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Heerspink said, "Finerenone could become an important new treatment option for people with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes. The drug offers a clear delay in the decline of kidney function on top of current standard care. The results provide physicians with new therapeutic options to help preserve kidney function and reduce the number of cardiovascular and renal complications. And this applies to a broad, underserved patient population with non-diabetic CKD, for whom there are few treatment options in the guidelines."

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