National Kidney Foundation (NKF) said on Monday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the new INVOKANA treatment to reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and cardiovascular events in patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

This US FDA approval was awarded to Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, a healthcare company.

Additionally, Janssen's INVOKANA (Canagliflozin) is the first new treatment for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to be approved by the FDA in decades.

SGLT2s are proteins found in the kidneys that are important in the reabsorption of glucose by the kidneys. INVOKANA, a SGLT2 inhibitor that has been used for glycemic control in people with diabetes by inhibiting renal reabsorption of glucose, has now been shown to reduce the risk of kidney failure and heart disease in this population, added NFK.

Earlier this year, NKF brought together a group of clinicians, researchers, patients and FDA representative for a two-day, workshop titled 'The Role of the Kidney and SGLT2 in Glucose Homeostasis and Kidney Disease.' The American Journal of Kidney Diseases will publish in the future a summary of the recommendations from the workshop.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease.