Invokana (canagliflozin) improves kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes who have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, research suggests.
The findings from the ongoing CANVAS Program also revealed Invokana, part of the SGLT2 inhibitor drug class, had potential renal protective events.
Invokana has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels and blood pressure, and research is continually investigating its other possible benefits and side effects.
In two trials involving 10,142 participants with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, Invokana was assessed to understand its impact on kidney outcomes. The participants had all signed up to the CANVAS Program, a large-scale cardiovascular health outcomes program investigating canagliflozin in 10,000 people with type 2 diabetes.
The two trials, CANVAS and CANVAS-R, randomly assigned participants to Invokana or placebo. The primary outcomes for researchers were cardiovascular events such as nonfatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) and nonfatal stroke.

Over an average follow-up period of around three and a half years, Invokana was associated with a reduced risk of kidney disease progressio, and indicated a possible benefit in respect to the progression of albuminuria (protein in the urine).
Additional results showed Invokana significantly reduced the combined risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarctio, and nonfatal stroke compared to placebo. A potential renal protective effect was also observed.
Whilst the results were positive for cardiovascular and renal health, patients on canagliflozin were nearly twice as likely to have an amputation compared to those on placebo.
Lead author Vlado Perkovic, University of New South Wales Sydney, said: “Millions of people around the world suffer from diabetic kidney disease, which will affect nearly one-third of all type 2 diabetes patients and is the most common cause of kidney failure in most countries. This underscores the need to identify new treatment options for these people who have not seen an innovation in the space in the last 20 years.
“New data from the CANVAS Program clearly indicate better renal outcomes for people treated with canagliflozi, and suggest that this agent protects kidney function, in addition to providing previously presented cardiovascular benefits.”
The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2017 Annual Meeting.

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