Is fenelidone on the market?

Finerenone (Finerenone) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 9, 2021, and subsequently approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 11, 2022, and is sold through Bayer AG under the trade name Kerendia. In June of the same year, this drug was also approved for marketing by the State Food and Drug Administration in China and was sold under the name of Fenelidone Tablets (Kerendia).

Finelidone orBAY 94-8862 is a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist indicated to reduce the risk of persistent decline in glomerular filtration rate, end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular death, heart attack and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with chronic kidney disease associated with type 2 diabetes. People with kidney disease will initially be treated with Spironolactone or Eplerenone, which antagonize mineralocorticoid receptors.

Sponolactone has low selectivity and low affinity for receptors; it breaks down rapidly and may also affect androgen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptors. Eplerenone is more selective and has a longer duration of action. Later, more selective nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid antagonists were developed, such as apararenone, esaxerenone, and fenelinone.

So far, fenelidone isthe only non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist approved by the FDA. Fenelidone has been shown to slow the loss of kidney function in adults with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. The side effects of this drug are considered manageable. Therefore, the benefits of fenelidone outweigh its risks and its use can be authorized.