Survey: Diabetic nephropathy lacks new therapeutic options

New survey results report that diabetic nephropathy is considered the renal disease with the greatest unmet need for new therapeutic options, according to a Decisions Resources Group press release.

The Decisions Resources Group online survey consisted on 150 physicians in the United States.

The survey reports that physicians believe that efficacy in reducing proteinuria, delaying the onset of end-stage renal disease, establishing blood pressure control and reducing the risk for nonfatal cardiovascular events are the most important attributes when deciding on an agent for diabetic nephropathy.

Physicians, regardless of specialty, reported they considered patients with diabetic nephropathy to be slow or average progressors.

Endocrinologists and primary care physicians report that the likelihood of a patient with diabetic nephropathy seeing a nephrologist increases as the stage of chronic kidney disease progresses.

Physicians also differ in their decisions to use pharmacotherapy in patients with diabetic nephropathy according to specialty, severity of disease and stage of CKD.

Most physicians reported they would use six late-stage products in development to treat diabetic nephropathy among patients with stage 3 CKD. These agents in development include: canagliflozin (Invokana, Janssen); atrasentan (AbbVie); Pyridorin (NephroGenex); finerenone (Bayer); CCX140 (ChemoCentryx); and CTP-499 (Concert Pharmaceutical).

“The most common treatment changes reported include being more aggressive with [diabetic nephropathy] treatment, earlier diagnosis/increased screening/earlier referral to a nephrologist, and no longer using [angiotensin-converting enzyme] inhibitor/[angiotensin-receptor blocker combinations,” Rob Dubman, director of the Decisions Resources Group, said in the release. “For manufacturers with products in development to treat [diabetic nephropathy], this could mean that ample opportunity exists.”