EMPA-KIDNEY: the study of heart and kidney protection with empagliflozin

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects approximately 1 in 10 people in the UK. It is known that people with kidney disease are at risk of their kidney problem worsening and of developing heart problems.

EMPA-KIDNEY is a clinical trial testing whether taking a single pill of empagliflozin every day prevents worsening of kidney disease or deaths from heart disease in people who have chronic kidney disease.

Empagliflozin is a new medication that was developed to treat high blood sugar in people with diabetes, which has recently been shown to have beneficial effects on both the heart and kidney. The drug causes blood sugar and salt to pass into the urine which results in a modest fall in body weight and blood pressure.

This randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of empagliflozin versus matching placebo will recruit in 5,000 people with chronic kidney disease, with or without diabetes and will continue for about 3-4 years to assess whether empagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death.