Finerenone

Bayer and Detroit-based Henry Ford Health announced a clinical trials partnership designed to connect more patients with investigational medicines, positioning Henry Ford as one of just four US academic health systems selected for Bayer’s strategic research network. The tie-up spans cardiovascular and renal disease, oncology and women’s health — three areas central to Bayer’s current pipeline — and reflects a broader industry shift toward embedding drug developers directly within health systems that serve large, diverse patient populations. Financial terms were not disclosed, and no specific drug candidate, technology platform or clinical trial identifier was named in the announcement. Under the agreement, Bayer will combine its clinical development capabilities with Henry Ford Health’s trial infrastructure, electronic health record data and patient population to improve trial design, identify eligible participants and generate real-world evidence. The companies also plan to collaborate on data science training. No specific investigational therapies or clinical studies were disclosed. The Henry Ford agreement is the second of its kind for Bayer within two weeks. On July 7, Bayer formed its first-ever academic medical center alliance with the University of Colorado Anschutz, UCHealth and Children’s Hospital Colorado, covering a similar mix of therapeutic areas along with neurodegenerative disease and cell and gene therapy. That deal marked Bayer’s first structured academic health system research network, and the Henry Ford partnership confirms the company is now executing a repeatable model rather than a one-off collaboration. With two of four planned network partners now named, Bayer appears to be assembling a distributed clinical trial infrastructure that spans multiple US regions and patient populations, though the identities of the remaining two systems have not been disclosed. The timing aligns with Bayer’s broader pharmaceutical strategy update from January, in which the company detailed a modality-rich pipeline spanning oncology assets such as darolutamide (Nubeqa) and sevabertinib (Hyrnuo), cardiovascular programs including asundexian and finerenone (Kerendia), and women’s health therapy elinzanetant (Lynkuet). Embedding clinical trial access within large health systems supports patient enrollment for this expanding portfolio, particularly as Bayer pushes multiple Phase III cardiovascular and oncology programs toward regulatory milestones in the coming years. For Henry Ford Health, the Bayer partnership adds to a growing list of external collaborations tied to its research and data capabilities, including its earlier work with BD on pharmacy automation and its role within the Truveta real-world data consortium. The health system’s chief scientific officer, David Lanfear, framed the Bayer collaboration as an effort to reduce participation barriers and accelerate treatment development, while Bayer’s Christoph Koenen pointed to community-embedded research as a way to reach patients where they already receive care. This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by the AllSci editorial team. Explore more at AllSci News: https://allsci.com/news/ Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Privacy Terms About Us Copyright © 2026. AllSci Corp. All rights reserved.

An international study found that finerenone slows kidney function decline and reduces the risk of serious kidney and cardiovascular complications in people with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes. The results could open the door to a much-needed new treatment option for the majority of CKD patients who have long had limited choices.A major international clinical trial has found that finerenone can significantly slow the loss of kidney function in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who do not have diabetes. The findings suggest the drug could become an important new treatment option for a large group of patients who have historically had limited therapies beyond standard care. The research was led by clinical pharmacologist Hiddo Lambers Heerspink of the University Medical Center Groningen and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Large International Trial Evaluates Finerenone The FIND-CKD study enrolled 1,584 adults with chronic kidney disease and followed them for an average of just over three years. Every participant had impaired kidney function along with elevated levels of protein in the urine, which is a key warning sign that kidney damage may continue to worsen. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a daily dose of finerenone or a placebo. Both groups also continued receiving standard treatment with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Slower Decline in Kidney Function Researchers measured how kidney function changed over a 2.5 year follow up period using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which reflects how effectively the kidneys filter waste from the blood. Patients treated with finerenone experienced a statistically significant slowing in the decline of eGFR compared with those who received the placebo. According to Lambers Heerspink, the improvement was not only statistically significant but also meaningful in clinical practice. Lower Risk of Kidney and Heart Complications The study also showed that finerenone reduced the likelihood of serious health complications, including major kidney events, hospitalization for heart failure, and death from cardiovascular disease. Lambers Heerspink said, "In the finerenone group, 13.9 percent experienced such a complication, compared to 16.9 percent in the placebo group. That amounts to a reduction in risk of approximately 23 percent." Protein in Urine Fell Sharply Another important benefit was a substantial reduction in urinary protein, an early indicator of kidney damage. Lambers Heerspink explained, "The presence of protein in the urine is often an important and early sign of kidney damage. In the finerenone group, it decreased by an average of over 41 percent, compared to about 9 percent in the placebo group. More than half of the patients who received finerenone achieved a reduction of at least 30 percent in the amount of protein in their urine. Such a reduction is an important indicator of a more favorable renal prognosis." Expanding Treatment Beyond Diabetes Previous large clinical trials of finerenone mainly focused on people with type 2 diabetes. The new findings show the drug also provides meaningful benefits for patients with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes. According to Lambers Heerspink, "Now it turns out the drug is also effective in people without diabetes, even though more than half of all CKD patients worldwide are non-diabetic. Chronic kidney disease now affects an estimated 800 million adults worldwide." A New Option for Non Diabetic CKD The researchers also found that finerenone was safe to use throughout the study. Lambers Heerspink said, "Finerenone could become an important new treatment option for people with chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes. The drug offers a clear delay in the decline of kidney function on top of current standard care. The results provide physicians with new therapeutic options to help preserve kidney function and reduce the number of cardiovascular and renal complications. And this applies to a broad, underserved patient population with non-diabetic CKD, for whom there are few treatment options in the guidelines."