In 2024, the New England Journal of Medicine published results from the groundbreaking FLOW study, showing that the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide reduces the risk of clinically important kidney outcomes and death from cardiovascular causes in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).1
“This is one of the biggest breakthroughs in nephrology in the past 50 years,” study coauthor Katherine Tuttle, MD, told Nephrology Times. “GLP-1 receptor agonists are all over social media and the lay press, but they’ve mainly been played as weight-loss drugs. The kidney protection is one of the biggest wins yet.”
However, to really reap the newly discovered benefits, primary care physicians, nephrologists, and other specialists must understand the evolving landscape and…