A randomized controlled study of finerenone vs. eplerenone in patients with worsening chronic heart failure and diabetes mellitus and/or chronic kidney disease

AIMS: To evaluate oral doses of the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone given for 90 days in patients with worsening heart failure and reduced ejection fraction and chronic kidney disease and/or diabetes mellitus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Miner Alocorticoid Receptor antagonist Tolerability Study-Heart Failure (ARTS-HF) was a randomized, double-blind, phase 2b multicentre study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01807221). Of 1286 screened patients, 1066 were randomized. Patients received oral, once-daily finerenone (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, or 15 mg, uptitrated to 5, 10, 15, 20, or 20 mg, respectively, on Day 30) or eplerenone (25 mg every other day, increased to 25 mg once daily on Day 30, and to 50 mg once daily on Day 60) for 90 days. The primary endpoint was the percentage of individuals with a decrease of >30% in plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) from baseline to Day 90. A key exploratory endpoint was a composite clinical endpoint of death from any cause, cardiovascular hospitalizations, or emergency presentation for worsening HF until Day 90. Mean age ranged from 69.2 to 72.5 years in different treatment groups (standard deviation 9.7–10.6 years). Decreases in NT-proBNP of >30% from baseline occurred in 37.2% of patients in the eplerenone group and 30.9, 32.5, 37.3, 38.8, and 34.2% in the 2.5→5, 5→10, 7.5→15, 10→20, and 15→20 mg finerenone groups, respectively (P = 0.42–0.88). Except for the 2.5→5 mg finerenone group, the composite clinical endpoint occurred numerically less frequently in finerenone-treated patients compared with eplerenone; this difference reached nominal statistical significance in the 10→20 mg group (hazard ratio 0.56, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.35; 0.90; nominal P = 0.02), despite the fact that this phase 2 study was not designed to detect statistical significant differences. A potassium level increase to ≥5.6 mmol/L at any time point occurred in 4.3% of patients, with a balanced distribution among all treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Finerenone was well tolerated and induced a 30% or greater decrease in NT-proBNP levels in a similar proportion of patients to eplerenone. The finding of reduced clinical events in the finerenone 10→20 mg group should be further explored in a large outcomes trial

Rationale, Design, and Baseline Characteristics of ARTS-DN:A Randomized Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Finerenone in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and a Clinical Diagnosis of Diabetic Nephropathy

Background/Aims: Finerenone decreases albuminuria in patients having heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and mild-to-moderate (stage 2-3) chronic kidney disease. The MinerAlocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Tolerability Study-Diabetic Nephropathy (ARTS-DN; NCT01874431) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2b study. ARTS-DN investigated whether the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone reduces albuminuria without causing major alterations in serum potassium levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a clinical diagnosis of DN who were receiving a renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) inhibitor. Methods: Patients were randomized to oral finerenone 1.25-20 mg or placebo once daily. The primary objectives were to assess the ratio of the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio at day 90 to that at baseline in patients receiving finerenone, and to compare it with that in the placebo group. Additional exploratory analyses included evaluating changes from baseline in serum potassium levels, efficacy and safety biomarkers, and health-related quality of life. Results: Of 1,501 patients screened, 821 (the sample population) received at least one dose of finerenone/placebo. Baseline characteristics included: male, 77.8%; white, 84.2%; very high albuminuria (formerly macroalbuminuria), 38.4%; high albuminuria (formerly microalbuminuria), 60.3%; median (range) estimated glomerular filtration rate, 66.3 (24.5-130.7) ml/min/1.73 m(2); and systolic blood pressure (mean +/- standard deviation), 138.1 +/- 14.4 mm Hg. There was a history of cardiovascular disease in 39.6%, diabetic neuropathy in 20.0%, and diabetic retinopathy in 19.9% of patients. Conclusion: ARTS-DN is the first phase 2b trial of finerenone in combination with a RAS inhibitor in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a clinical diagnosis of DN. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Base

Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of ARTS-DN: A randomized study to assess the safety and efficacy of finerenone in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a clinical diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy

Background/Aims: Finerenone decreases albuminuria in patients having heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and mild-to-moderate (stage 2-3) chronic kidney disease. The MinerAlocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Tolerability Study-Diabetic Nephropathy (ARTS-DN; NCT01874431) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2b study. ARTS-DN investigated whether the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone reduces albuminuria without causing major alterations in serum potassium levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a clinical diagnosis of DN who were receiving a renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) inhibitor. Methods: Patients were randomized to oral finerenone 1.25-20 mg or placebo once daily. The primary objectives were to assess the ratio of the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio at day 90 to that at baseline in patients receiving finerenone, and to compare it with that in the placebo group. Additional exploratory analyses included evaluating changes from baseline in serum potassium levels, efficacy and safety biomarkers, and health-related quality of life. Results: Of 1,501 patients screened, 821 (the sample population) received at least one dose of finerenone/placebo. Baseline characteristics included: male, 77.8%; white, 84.2%; very high albuminuria (formerly macroalbuminuria), 38.4%; high albuminuria (formerly microalbuminuria), 60.3%; median (range) estimated glomerular filtration rate, 66.3 (24.5-130.7) ml/min/1.73 m2; and systolic blood pressure (mean \ub1 standard deviation), 138.1 \ub1 14.4 mm Hg. There was a history of cardiovascular disease in 39.6%, diabetic neuropathy in 20.0%, and diabetic retinopathy in 19.9% of patients. Conclusion: ARTS-DN is the first phase 2b trial of finerenone in combination with a RAS inhibitor in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a clinical diagnosis of DN