Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) & Bayer are partnering with the CardioHealth Alliance to improve diagnosis and treatment for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Cardiovascular disease prevention specialist Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, will lead this study and nephrologist Dr. Daniel Edmonston will be a co-investigator.

CKD is a rising health concern for those with T2DM, particularly in racial/ethnic minoritized populations. Per the guidelines, clinicians of patients with T2DM should use urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) tests to determine the health of a patient’s kidneys. However, many patients lack access to proper information and care to receive these tests and to determine the status of their kidney health.

Using a real-world health data network, the IRIS-CKD (Implementation pRogram to Improve Screening and management for CKD in Diabetes) study will identify a cohort of over 800 participants during the first phase to establish best practices for appropriately screening patients for CKD using the UACR and eGFR tests. The second phase will establish best practices for CKD treatment with more than 400 patients with CKD.

This study, supported by Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly & Bayer and led by a team of researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), will also determine optimal ways of engaging with patients to ensure adherence to kidney function monitoring tests and treatment programs.

“Increasing the accessibility of testing and treatment options for patients with CKD and T2DM is a tremendous opportunity,” said Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, MPH, “especially for those at higher risk due to demographic and socioeconomic barriers, as these patients often do not have access to initial diagnostic testing.”

As the Director of the Duke Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention Program, Pagidipati has conducted research in similar cardiometabolic disease prevention areas. Pagidipati and her team are skilled at focusing on risk factor management, a critical health outreach effort for populations of individuals with CKD and T2DM.

For more information, visit the cardiohealthalliance.org or contact CardioHealthAlliance@dm.duke.edu.