Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects around 37 million Americans, but this disease, which does not get the attention other conditions often do, can go undetected for years, boosting the risks of organ failure and even death.
AstraZeneca, maker of blockbuster diabetes drug Farxiga that recently nabbed an expanded label in CKD, wants more to be done to find those who have this disease.
The pharma cited new, real-world evidence that shows the prevalence of undiagnosed stage 3—moderate—CKD is 85% to 97% across Australia, Brazil, Canada and Spain. The study was shared this month at the European Renal Association 2023 Congress in Milan, Italy.
This is a “staggeringly low rate” of diagnosis in CKD, according to an accompanying release from AstraZeneca, with these data showing “that an urgent need exists for improved screening.”
Improved screening can lead to earlier diagnosis and thus potentially better outcomes, given that once kidney damage sets in it can’t be reversed, and the next step is dialysis.
It could also mean, of course, more uptake for Farxiga. These data, a common way pharma companies use science to boost awareness of certain conditions, follows AZ’s recent marketing push for Farxiga’s relatively new CKD license.
Back in January of this year, the U.K.-based pharma ran a new DTC spot called “We Are Targets” for Farxiga, aimed squarely at the 9 in 10 adults it says have CKD but are unaware of it.
“These new real-world evidence data presented at ERA 2023 build on existing research to paint a stark picture: chronic kidney disease is a global public health emergency that needs to be tackled immediately,” said Ruud Dobber, Ph.D., executive vice president of the biopharmaceuticals business unit at AstraZeneca, in the release.
“The REVEAL-CKD study is the first to show both the vast underdiagnosis of chronic kidney disease, as well as the clear clinical benefits of identifying the disease early.”