Repurposing the familiar: Future treatment options against chronic kidney disease

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Pharmacology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) presents a significant global health challenge with increasing rates of illness and death.
• Current treatments for CKD are often limited in effectiveness and associated with adverse side effects, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies.
• Drug repurposing, identifying new uses for existing approved drugs, emerges as a viable approach to accelerate the development of effective CKD therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of drug repurposing for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD).
• To explore various drug classes and their pharmacological mechanisms for CKD treatment.
• To assess the clinical evidence supporting repurposed drugs in slowing CKD progression and improving patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of pharmacological mechanisms and clinical evidence for repurposed drugs in CKD.
• Identification and discussion of diverse drug classes, including inodilators, ET-1A receptor antagonists, bisphosphonates, MR antagonists, DNA demethylating agents, NRF2 activators, P2X7 inhibitors, autophagy modulators, and HIF-PHIs.
• Critical examination of the potential of these repurposed agents to impact CKD progression.

Main Results:

• Several drug classes, including mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and NRF2 activators, show promise in treating CKD.
• Repurposed drugs offer potential mechanisms to combat the pathophysiology of CKD.
• Clinical evidence suggests that certain repurposed medications can contribute significantly to managing CKD.

Conclusions:

• Drug repurposing represents a valuable strategy to develop innovative and effective therapies for CKD.
• A multidisciplinary approach is essential to advance drug repurposing efforts in nephrology.
• Repurposing established drugs holds significant potential to slow CKD progression and improve patient health outcomes.