NICE recommend dapagliflozin for treating chronic kidney disease

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended dapagliflozin as an option for treating certain individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in new draft guidance. Dapagliflozin is a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor and it is the first SGLT2 inhibitor to be recommended through NICE’s technology appraisal process for CKD.

According to NICE, adding dapagliflozin to current standard care has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of having declining kidney function, end-stage kidney disease, or dying from causes related to the kidneys or cardiovascular system.

NICE clinical guidelines on CKD recommend SGLT2 inhibitors for people with CKD and type 2 diabetes. The guidelines also noted studies were taking place to assess the usefulness of SGLT2 inhibitors for people with CKD who do not have diabetes, but the evidence was not yet strong enough.

“Dapagliflozin is a promising treatment for certain people with CKD and it has the potential to increase the length of time before the disease gets worse,” commented Meindert Boysen, deputy chief executive and director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation. “Our independent appraisal committee heard from people with the disease who said that further options which prevented the progress of the disease would offer real hope and a much-improved quality of life. Alongside standard care, dapagliflozin has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease.”

NICE are accepting comments until 26 November 2021 and expect to publish official guidance on 9 March 2022.