Chronic Kidney Disease Clinical Trials
Chronic Kidney Disease Trials at a Glance
334 actively recruiting trials for chronic kidney disease are listed on ClinicalTrialsFinder across 6 cities in 75 countries. The largest study group is Not Applicable with 104 trials, with the heaviest enrollment activity in Beijing, Dallas, and Boston. Lead sponsors running chronic kidney disease studies include AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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Top cities for chronic kidney disease trials
Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease Clinical Trials
Clinical trials have recently delivered some of the most significant advances in chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment in decades. The approval of finerenone (Kerendia) for CKD associated with type 2 diabetes, and the landmark results showing that SGLT2 inhibitors like dapagliflozin (Farxiga) slow kidney decline in patients with and without diabetes, both emerged directly from large-scale clinical trials. These drugs have fundamentally changed how nephrologists approach CKD management. For the roughly 37 million Americans estimated to have CKD, many of whom do not even know it, clinical trials represent the pipeline to treatments that could further slow progression, protect remaining kidney function, and potentially delay or prevent the need for dialysis or transplant.
Why Consider a Clinical Trial?
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chronic Kidney Disease clinical trials
Yes. There are clinical trials specifically designed for people on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. These studies test improvements to dialysis technology, new approaches to dialysis adequacy, and treatments for dialysis-related complications like anemia, bone disease, and cardiovascular risk. Some transplant-related trials also enroll dialysis patients.
Most kidney-protective drug trials focus on Stages 3 and 4 (eGFR 15-59), where intervention has the greatest potential to delay progression to dialysis. However, trials exist for all stages. Early-stage trials may focus on prevention, while Stage 5 trials often involve dialysis innovation or transplant research.
Drug interactions are carefully evaluated during the screening process. The research team will review all your current medications, including blood pressure drugs, diabetes medications, and any supplements. Many CKD trials are specifically designed to be used alongside standard medications like ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and SGLT2 inhibitors.
CKD trials include frequent blood and urine tests to track your eGFR, creatinine, potassium, and proteinuria levels. Monitoring is typically more frequent than routine clinic visits, often every 2 to 4 weeks during the early phase of the study. This close monitoring can actually be a benefit, as it may catch changes in kidney function earlier than standard care.
Yes. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an active area of clinical trial research. Studies are testing new therapies beyond tolvaptan, including drugs that target cyst growth pathways. Many PKD trials require imaging to measure total kidney volume as a primary outcome measure.
Showing 1–20 of 334 trials