Irbesartan reduces progression of renal disease in type 2 diabetes
- Innes, Carmen
New data from 2 studies show that the angiotensin II receptor antagonist irbesartan significantly shows the progression of renal disease and development of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In IDNT, patients with established renal disease receiving irbesartan had a 37% reduction in the development of end stage renal disease (ESRD) compared with amlodipine, and a 33% reduction compared with placebo. Currently, no therapy is indicated to reduce the risk of progression of renal disease to ESRD requiring dialysis or transplantation, so the results have important implications. In the IRMA 2 trial, the risk of progression to diabetic nephropathy was reduced by up to 70% in irbesartan recipients. IDNT and IRMA 2 are part of the PRIME research programme which is sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi Synthélabo. The studies were reported at the 16th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) [San Francisco, US; May 2001], along with another showing that losartan also reduces the progression of renal disease in type 2 diabetic patients.