# Trial of Pirfenidone to Prevent Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease (TOP–CKD)

> **NIH NIH U01** · VETERANS MEDICAL RESEARCH FDN/SAN DIEGO · 2021 · $599,552

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health problem, affecting more than half of adults over 70 years of
age. Other than glycemic control in diabetes and use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, few specific
therapies are available. Fibrosis is a dominant factor in the development and progression of nearly all forms of
kidney diseases. Our group has led the development of non-invasive tests to evaluate the severity of fibrosis,
in the absence of an invasive kidney biopsy, and we have experience leading clinical trials in CKD.
Pirfenidone (Esbriet ®) is a first-in-class anti-fibrotic drug that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In large-scale, phase 3 studies in IPF patients,
pirfenidone showed substantial improvement in forced vital capacity, and significantly reduced the risk of death
by 48%. Pharmacokinetic studies and pilot studies show that pirfenidone is safe in the setting of CKD, and
have defined the dose of pirfenidone to maximize benefit and minimize side effects in CKD patients.
Here, we propose a two-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial of pirfenidone 1335 mg/day vs.
matched placebo in 160 CKD patients. In our first aim, we will determine the effect of pirfenidone on changes
in renal fibrosis measured by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI). In our second aim,
we will determine the effect of pirfenidone on changes in urine biomarkers that are known to reflect the severity
of fibrosis on biopsy, and are predictive of progressive loss of kidney function. Finally, prior anti-fibrotic trials in
CKD patients lowered serum creatinine in early phase studies, but failed to prevent CKD progression events in
phase 3 trials. The lowering of serum creatinine proved to be due to fluid retention rather than improvements
in kidney function. To inform the most appropriate method to assess kidney function in a subsequent large-
scale phase 3 trial, our 3rd Aim will determine whether the effect of pirfenidone on glomerular filtration rate
(GFR) is similar when using measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by iohexol compared with GFR
estimates obtained from serum creatinine or cystatin C. In the conduct of this trial, we will also obtain
additional information about the safety and tolerability of pirfenidone in CKD. If successful, this study will lead
directly to a large-scale, phase 3 trial evaluating pirfenidone for prevention of CKD progression in moderate-to-
severe CKD. This project is ideally timed because of the combination of strong preliminary data, the FDA
approval and widespread use of pirfenidone for IPF, and the enormous unmet need for new CKD treatments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10017682
- **Project number:** 5U01DK111510-03
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS MEDICAL RESEARCH FDN/SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Joachim H Ix
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $599,552
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-13 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10017682

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10017682, Trial of Pirfenidone to Prevent Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease (TOP–CKD) (5U01DK111510-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10017682. Licensed CC0.

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