Simultaneous initiation of finerenone and empagliflozin across the spectrum of kidney risk in the CONFIDENCE trial

★

☆

SHARE

Overview

Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

Good to know

Topic Hierarchy

File Information

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

Double-Drug Combo May Boost Kidney Health in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

In a study of patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, combining finerenone and empagliflozin led to better kidney function improvement compared to either drug alone, across a range of baseline kidney risk levels. However, the study only followed participants for six months and further long-term research is needed to confirm lasting benefits and safety.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The study was funded by Bayer AG, the manufacturer of finerenone. Several authors reported financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Bayer, involved in diabetes and kidney disease treatments.

Identified Weaknesses

Short follow-up duration

The study only lasted for 6 months (180 days), so it's unclear if the benefits and safety profile hold true over a longer time period, especially in terms of actual clinical outcomes like kidney failure or heart problems.

Mismatch between KDIGO categories and randomization stratification

While there was a wide range of kidney function included, the specific cutoffs used for KDIGO risk categories didn't perfectly match the study's entry criteria, which could slightly skew the results for certain risk groups.

Limited generalizability due to strict selection criteria

The study had very strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, meaning it might not apply to everyone with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease in the real world.

Lack of power for subgroup analyses

There wasn't enough statistical power to truly compare the effects of combination therapy within each specific risk subgroup, meaning some of the observed differences might be due to chance.

Rating Explanation

This is a well-designed study with a large sample size and important clinical implications. Although the short follow-up duration and strict inclusion criteria limit generalizability to some extent, the findings about consistent benefits across different levels of kidney risk remain valuable.

Good to know

This is our free standard analysis. Paperzilla Pro fact-checks every citation, researches author backgrounds and funding sources, and uses advanced AI reasoning for more thorough insights.

Explore Pro →