Browsing by Author "Zannad, Faiez"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Cardiovascular outcome trials in patients with chronic kidney disease: challenges associated with selection of patients and endpoints
    (Oxford Academic, 2019-03-14) Rossignol, Patrick; Agarwal, Rajiv; Canaud, Bernard; Charney, Alan; Chatellier, Gilles; Craig, Jonathan C.; Cushman, William C.; Gansevoort, Ronald T.; Fellström, Bengt; Garza, Dahlia; Guzman, Nicolas; Holtkamp, Frank A.; London, Gerard M.; Massy, Ziad A.; Mebazaa, Alexandre; Mol, Peter G.M.; Pfeffer, Marc A.; Rosenberg, Yves; Ruilope, Luis M.; Seltzer, Jonathan; Shah, Amil M.; Shah, Salim; Singh, Bhupinder; Stefánsson, Bergur V.; Stockbridge, Norman; Gattis Stough, Wendy; Thygesen, Kristian; Walsh, Michael; Wanner, Christoph; Warnock, David G.; Wilcox, Christopher S.; Wittes, Janet; Pitt, Bertram; Thompson, Aliza; Zannad, Faiez; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Although cardiovascular disease is a major health burden for patients with chronic kidney disease, most cardiovascular outcome trials have excluded patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Moreover, the major cardiovascular outcome trials that have been conducted in patients with end-stage renal disease have not demonstrated a treatment benefit. Thus, clinicians have limited evidence to guide the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease, particularly those on dialysis. Several factors contribute to both the paucity of trials and the apparent lack of observed treatment effect in completed studies. Challenges associated with conducting trials in this population include patient heterogeneity, complexity of renal pathophysiology and its interaction with cardiovascular disease, and competing risks for death. The Investigator Network Initiative Cardiovascular and Renal Clinical Trialists (INI-CRCT), an international organization of academic cardiovascular and renal clinical trialists, held a meeting of regulators and experts in nephrology, cardiology, and clinical trial methodology. The group identified several research priorities, summarized in this paper, that should be pursued to advance the field towards achieving improved cardiovascular outcomes for these patients. Cardiovascular and renal clinical trialists must partner to address the uncertainties in the field through collaborative research and design clinical trials that reflect the specific needs of the chronic and end-stage kidney disease populations, with the shared goal of generating robust evidence to guide the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with kidney disease.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Steroidal and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in cardiorenal medicine
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-01-07) Agarwal, Rajiv; Kolkhof, Peter; Bakris, George; Bauersachs, Johann; Haller, Hermann; Wada, Takashi; Zannad, Faiez; Medicine, School of Medicine
    This review covers the last 80 years of remarkable progress in the development of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists (MRAs) from synthesis of the first mineralocorticoid to trials of nonsteroidal MRAs. The MR is a nuclear receptor expressed in many tissues/cell types including the kidney, heart, immune cells, and fibroblasts. The MR directly affects target gene expression-primarily fluid, electrolyte and haemodynamic homeostasis, and also, but less appreciated, tissue remodelling. Pathophysiological overactivation of the MR leads to inflammation and fibrosis in cardiorenal disease. We discuss the mechanisms of action of nonsteroidal MRAs and how they differ from steroidal MRAs. Nonsteroidal MRAs have demonstrated important differences in their distribution, binding mode to the MR and subsequent gene expression. For example, the novel nonsteroidal MRA finerenone has a balanced distribution between the heart and kidney compared with spironolactone, which is preferentially concentrated in the kidneys. Compared with eplerenone, equinatriuretic doses of finerenone show more potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects on the kidney in rodent models. Overall, nonsteroidal MRAs appear to demonstrate a better benefit-risk ratio than steroidal MRAs, where risk is measured as the propensity for hyperkalaemia. Among patients with Type 2 diabetes, several Phase II studies of finerenone show promising results, supporting benefits on the heart and kidneys. Furthermore, finerenone significantly reduced the combined primary endpoint (chronic kidney disease progression, kidney failure, or kidney death) vs. placebo when added to the standard of care in a large Phase III trial.