George Bakris: The Future of Finerenone as a Diabetes Treatment

Initial studies testing finerenone as a treatment for type 2 diabetes so far have been positive.

The nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist has shown the ability to half the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), while reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in this patient population.

However, despite the initial success, there is still a lot to learn whether or not this family of medicine can move to the front of the line for diabetic patients with CKD.

In an interview with HCPLive®, George Bakris, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, called finerenone “new to the party” and said it is expected to be examined closer in the coming years.

Bakris said while the medication family has shown promise, it is unlikely they take the place of SGLT2 inhibitors, which have become increasingly popular for patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD to reduce the risk of negative cardiovascular outcomes.

The data was part of the ongoing Finerenone in Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial, which will assess the drug’s cardiorenal efficacy and safety in populations with type 2 diabetes and less advanced chronic kidney disease.