Diabetes drug approved in England

In diabetics, the risk of insufficiency is high. But British patients will be able to benefit from a new treatment.

Currently, diabetics can benefit from many treatments to relieve the effects of the disease. Depending on whether the diabetes is type 1 or type 2, the drugs offered but also the risks are different. And the most problematic to date remains type 2 diabetes.

Due to the high levels of sugar present in the blood, the disease causes certain vessels to swell. In fact, diabetes can increase the risk of suffering from other health problems. Among the most serious are kidney failure and heart problems. In the United Kingdom, this phenomenon affects on average one in 50 patients.

Faced with these very high risks for diabetic patients, English researchers have developed a new drug. Offered as pill to take daily, the latter might drastically reduce the risks. And good news: it has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

How does this drug represent a real breakthrough?

The information was reported in the April 8 edition of the English newspaper Daily Mail. Following a clinical trial conducted on 5,700 volunteers, researchers and experts have noted the effectiveness of finerenone. In fact, the treatment is now authorized for sale.

Specifically, this drug acts as a speed reducer. Via daily intake, lesions affecting the kidneys are reduced. In fact, diabetics reduce the risk of suffering from heart problems. This is all the more reassuring as in the past, similar drugs had been developed but raised potassium levels in the blood. This increases the risk of heart attack. Finerenone therefore represents hope for many patients.

However, this new treatment will not concern all diabetes patients. It won’t be prescribed only to patients already suffering from advanced renal failure. The objective is not to cure this insufficiency but to limit the progression of the disease and above all to reduce the risk of heart failure.

Could this treatment for diabetics arrive in France?

In France, the Haute Autorité de Santé received a marketing authorization application in November 2022 for Kerendia, a drug containing finerenone. Besides, he has the same effects as the medicine authorized in England. It is intended for patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Currently, the request is still being processed. Nevertheless, in view of the positive results observed in England, it is quite possible that the drug will be authorized in the months or years to come.