Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : February 9, 2021 9:14 AM IST
Image credits by: Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney disease. ©Shutterstock
AstraZeneca India has been given the green light to sell its anti-diabetic drug -- dapagliflozin -- for the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the country.
According to the pharmaceutical company, dapagliflozin is the first medicine in SGLT-2i class to move into a new disease area.
The drug is already an effective treatment for Type-2 Diabetes and select heart failure. Now, it can be used for the management of CKD in India, the company said in a statement released on Monday.
CKD affects nearly 700 million people worldwide, while many still undiagnosed. The most common causes of CKD include diabetes, hypertension and glomerulonephritis.
The efficacy and safety of AstraZeneca's dapagliflozin for the treatment of patients with CKD have been proven in clinical trials. The Phase III DAPA-CKD trial results suggested that dapagliflozin on top of standard of care can reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) or renal death by 39 per cent in patients with CKD Stages 2-4 and elevated urinary albumin excretion.
The benefits were seen in both patients with and without Type-2 diabetes.
Anyone can get CKD, but the risk is higher in certain group. You're more likely than others to get chronic kidney disease if you have
The condition is also more common in adults over 60 years old and those who are African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian.
If you have these risk factors, it's advisable to get tested annually for kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to gradual loss of kidney function over time. Usually, symptoms do not appear during the initial stages. This is one of the reasons why many people with chronic kidney disease remain undiagnosed and why the disease is often detected at the very late stages, when the kidneys are failing.
When your kidneys begin to fail, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms
Acute kidney failure is when your kidneys stop working suddenly, this may cause symptoms like abdominal (belly) pain, back pain, diarrhoea, fever, nosebleeds, rash and vomiting.
Living a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. This include following a low-salt, low-fat diet, exercising regularly, avoiding or limiting tobacco and alcohol use.
With inputs from IANS
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