Best in Class? The Comparative Effectiveness of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists in Preventing Incident CKD Stage 3 or Higher

In this issue of AJKD, Neumiller et al1 examine the comparative effectiveness of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) on kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and moderate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The analysis is important given that CKD, particularly when comorbid with other health conditions, is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality,2 and so preventing CKD will very likely improve health outcomes. Although there exist clinical trial data showing the benefit of GLP1-RAs versus placebo on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline and/or cardiovascular outcomes in a variety of settings, including those with T2DM, heart failure, CKD, and/or obesity,3 there is a paucity of head-to-head comparisons of different GLP1-RAs for CVD and/or CKD outcomes, in part because conducting this type of trial is usually not in the interest of industry partners.