New drug offers fresh hope for treating kidney disease without dialysis

A new medicine has brought a ray of hope for treatment of kidney disease. When the disease is detected early, it may be possible to delay the worsening of the condition for many years.

Dialysis is a taxing therapy for kidney disease. Long-term patients have to make regular trips to the hospital, impacting their life immensely. During a hospital check-up, a Taichung woman aged just 24 recently discovered she had polycystic kidney disease, the same as her late father.

Dr. Wang Chia-liang
Kuang Tien General Hospital
As her age increased, the cysts in her kidneys were getting bigger and bigger, worsening the function of her kidneys.

At the start of her life, the patient faced the possibility of decades of dialysis, Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition. The children of a patient have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease, which is hard to detect. If kidney function deteriorates over the age of 30, it’s too late to treat for many patients.

Dr. Wang Chia-liang
Kuang Tien General Hospital
Our latest weapon is a medicine that can slow down the progression of chronic polycystic kidney disease, by about 30%. It’s a ray of hope for the treatment of this kind of disease.

The new drug, taken orally, was available on a special NHI license. It can inhibit kidney cysts from growing, bringing new horizons to the treatment of kidney disease. Doctors hope that alongside genetic testing, it will improve early detection and treatment of this debilitating condition.