Finerenone - are we there yet with a non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist for the treatment of diabetic chronic kidney disease?

Introduction

Chronic kidney disease occurs in 40% of subjects with diabetes and increases the risk of cardiovascular death three-fold, compared to having diabetes alone. The non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone protects against chronic kidney disease in animal models.Areas covered: This evaluation is of a phase 3 trial of finerenone; Finerenone in Reducing Kidney Failure and Disease Progression in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIDELIO-DKD). In FIDELIO-DKD, finerenone reduced the primary composite outcome of kidney failure, a sustained decrease of at least 40% in eGFR over four weeks, or death from renal causes, from 21.1% to 17.8%, with a good safety profile.Expert opinion: Finerenone is an effective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist for the treatment of diabetic chronic kidney disease. Recently, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporters 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have been added to the list of medicines for use in subjects with this condition. Although finerenone has a different mechanism of action to these medicines, it will need to be tested and shown to be effective in presence of these medicines in diabetic kidney disease, prior to widespread use.