Assessing the value of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects millions of people and can lead to kidney failure, cardiovascular complications, and increased healthcare costs. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors), such as empagliflozin, have been shown to slow the progression of CKD. However, less is known about their impact on patients' quality of life, healthcare use, long-term costs, and overall value for money.

The project will analyse data from EMPA-KIDNEY clinical trial to assess how empagliflozin affects health-related quality of life, healthcare utilisation and costs. We will also create a large UK-based cohort of CKD patients using linked healthcare databases (CPRD Aurum primary care records, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), national mortality data). We will develop a decision analytic microsimulation model of CKD progression and cardiovascular complications to estimate the long-term health and economic effects of SGLT2i and other treatments across different groups of CKD patients.

The findings will help determine whether SGLT2 inhibitors provide good value for money and support evidence-based CKD treatment policies in the UK and internationally.

Key Findings to Date

• Empagliflozin improves health-related quality of life, lowers healthcare costs, and represents a cost-effective strategy for managing chronic kidney disease across a broad range of patients