Finerenone in diabetic kidney disease: A systematic review and critical appraisal

Finerenone is a novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid antagonist (MRA) recently approved for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aim to conduct a systematic review of finerenone to know the efficacy and safety of finerenone in CKD with or without T2D.

A systematic search in the electronic database of PubMed and Google Scholar was made from inception until September 09, 2022, using several MeSH keywords related to finerenone. Ongoing trials were additionally searched from ClinicalTrials.Gov.

Five phase 2 and three phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo- or active-controlled studies of finerenone have been published to date and several other randomized and real-world studies of finerenone are currently undergoing.

In short-term studies in patients with CKD and reduced ejection heart failure, with or without T2D, finerenone 20 mg appears to have a better renal outcome compared with spironolactone and a better mortality outcome compared with eplerenone, with significantly lesser hyperkalemia compared to both spironolactone and finerenone. In long-term studies in patients with CKD and T2D, finerenone 10/20 mg significantly reduces the progression of renal disease and reduced CV endpoints (especially heart failure hospitalization) compared to placebo. Finerenone has no effect on HbA1c, body weight, and sexual side effects including gynecomastia, and has only a modest effect on blood pressure. However, hyperkalemia leading to drug withdrawal was significantly higher with finerenone compared to placebo. Safety data in real-world settings is a pressing priority.