
Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), has shown favourable cardiac and renal effects in patients with heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a recent meta-analysis.
The meta-analysis included six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and eight observational studies, which involved a total of 17,335 patients with HF and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 treated with sacubitril/valsartan or controls (valsartan, enalapril, conventional treatment for HF, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, or no ARNI treatment). Results showed that sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization in patients with HF and stage 3–5 CKD (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.54–0.78), and prevented serum creatinine elevation (OR, 0.81; 95 percent CI, 0.68–0.95), eGFR decline (OR, 0.83; 95 percent CI, 0.73–0.95), as well as development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD; OR, 0.73; 95 percent CI, 0.60– 0.89) compared with controls. [Ren Fail 2024;46:2349135]
In terms of safety, sacubitril/valsartan was not associated with increased rates of hyperkalaemia (OR, 1.31; 95 percent CI, 0.79–2.17) or hypotension (OR, 1.57; 95 percent CI, 0.94–2.62) compared with controls among patients with HF and stage 3–5 CKD.
Another recent meta-analysis of six RCTs of various classes of HF medications, which involved a total of 28,690 patients, showed that sacubitril/valsartan consistently reduced the occurrence of the composite kidney endpoint of sustained 40 percent, 50 percent or 57 percent decline in eGFR, ESRD, or renal death, irrespective of the specific eGFR decline threshold applied. [Circulation 2024;150:1858-1868]