NEW YORK, Nov 15: Researchers say recent advances in chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatments are showing unprecedented potential to not only halt kidney damage but, in some cases, reverse it, raising hopes that dialysis and organ transplants may one day become less common.

Patients historically faced limited options once their kidneys began to fail: lifelong dialysis or kidney transplants, both of which carry significant risks and complications. Dialysis is time-consuming, costly, and associated with fatigue, cramping, infections, and reduced life expectancy, while transplanted kidneys last an average of 12 to 20 years and require lifelong immunosuppressant therapy.

Nicolas Palacios, 33, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 CKD in 2020, credits a clinical trial of tirzepatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist sold as Mounjaro, with improving his kidney function to Stage 3. “It gave me my life back,” Palacios said, describing how the treatment allowed him to avoid dialysis or transplant and regain quality of life.

Palacios’ experience mirrors a broader trend in kidney care. Katherine Tuttle, a nephrologist at the University of Washington, said new drugs, including GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide (Ozempic), have shown the ability to stabilize and even improve kidney function. Preliminary data presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual meeting in November highlighted improvements in inflammation, scarring, and overall kidney performance in patients treated with these medications.

Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 700 million people globally. SGLT2 inhibitors, another class of drugs originally developed for Type 2 diabetes, have also shown strong kidney-protective effects, reducing progression to kidney failure and cardiovascular deaths. Researchers say combining multiple drug classes can reduce kidney failure risk by up to 58 percent.

Vlado Perkovic, a researcher at the University of New South Wales, called the current period “a golden era” for kidney disease research. “For the first time, there’s a potentially visible, realistic pathway to go from remission to cure,” he said.

New therapies for non-diabetic CKD and autoimmune kidney diseases, such as IgA nephropathy, are emerging. Some treatments selectively target the cells causing damage, effectively halting disease progression. Researchers also report that more efficient clinical trial designs have accelerated these breakthroughs, with hundreds of CKD trials now underway worldwide.

Palacios, who continues to take tirzepatide out of pocket, said the drug has transformed his outlook. “It’s no longer about delaying how much worse you are going to get; it’s now about how much better you can get,” he said.