Old drug, new tricks: Paricalcitrol reduces risk of kidney failure in diabetics

Researchers have found a new use for an old drug called paracalcitrol — slowing the progression of kidney disease in diabetes patients. Diabetics are known to have a substantially increased risk of kidney disease, which can be measured by determining the amount of protein in the urine. Elevated protein levels (albuminuria) indicate a high risk of kidney failure. Researchers now believe they can reduce albuminuria using paracalcitrol, a vitamin D receptor activator already used to treat hyperparathyroidism, which is a common complication of kidney failure. The study, published in yesterday’s The Lancet, measured the urinary protein levels of 272 diabetes patients with kidney disease who were randomly assigned to either a placebo group or one of two paracalcitrol dosage groups for 24 weeks. Patients receiving either of the two doses of paricalcitrol while taking stable levels of the standard diabetes drug therapy showed improved albuminuria versus the placebo group. Unlike the current standard treatment for diabetics with kidney disease, paricalcitrol appears to retard kidney failure in patients with high dietary sodium intake, which often interferes with the current drug therapies.

“As the study authors point out, maintaining a low sodium diet can be very difficult for diabetes patients, so having a drug that can reduce the risk of kidney failure common in these patients could greatly improve their health” says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross.