EASi-KIDNEY™ (The Studies of Heart & Kidney Protection With BI 690517 in Combination With Empagliflozin)

What this study is about

This study is open to adults with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression. People with and without type 2 diabetes can take part in this study. The study is open to people who take other medicines called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). People who already take empagliflozin or any other sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) can also join. The study is also open to people who currently do not take any of these treatments. The purpose of this study is to find out whether a medicine called BI 690517 helps people with chronic kidney disease when taken in combination with a study medicine called empagliflozin. Worsening of kidney function increases the risk for kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease. After a run-in period, during which participants are confirmed to be receiving clinically appropriate renin-angiotensin system blockade and are established on empagliflozin, they are randomly assigned (by chance) to 1 of 2 groups. One group receives BI 690517 tablets, and the other group receives placebo tablets. Placebo tablets look like BI 690517 but do not contain any medicine. Participants take 1 study tablet once a day, in addition to empagliflozin, for the duration of the study. The doctors document when participants experience worsening of their kidney disease, go to hospital due to heart failure, or die of cardiovascular problems during the study. The time to these events is compared between the 2 treatment groups to see whether the treatment works. The study continues until the required number of events have occurred which is about 3 to 4 years. During this time, participants visit the study site about 4 times within the first 6 months. Then they visit the study site every 6 months. At the visits, doctors regularly check participants' health, take blood and urine samples, measure blood pressure and weight, check kidney function, and take note of any unwanted effects.

Who can join (things the study team will check)

✅ You may be able to join if…

• Evidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at risk of kidney disease progression is defined on the basis of local laboratory results recorded at least 3 months before and at the time of the Screening visit, and requires:
  • Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) eGFR ≥20 <45 mL/min/1.73m²; or
  • CKD-EPI eGFR ≥45 <90 mL/min/1.73m² with urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) ≥200 mg/g (or protein-to-creatinine ratio ≥300 mg/g).
• Neither requires an Aldosterone Synthase inhibitor (ASi) or Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist (MRA), nor that such treatment is definitely inappropriate.

🚫 You may not be able to join if…

• Blood potassium of >5.2 mmol/L at screening visit
• Blood Alanine Transaminase (ALT) or Aspartate Transaminase (AST) >3x Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) at Screening visit
• Known liver cirrhosis
• On dialysis, functioning kidney transplant, or scheduled living donor transplant
• Treated with new immunosuppression therapy for new (or relapse/flare of pre-existing) kidney disease within the last 60 days
• Receiving more than one Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) inhibitor (i.e. on dual therapy with two of an Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitor (ACEi), Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) or direct renin inhibitor)
• Currently treated with an Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist (MRA) (e.g. spironolactone, eplerenone, finerenone)
• Currently treated with systemic mineralocorticoid replacement therapy (e.g. fludrocortisone) Further exclusion criteria apply.

Where this trial is running

• Apogee Clinical Research, Huntsville, Alabama, United States
• Southwest Kidney Institute, Surprise, Arizona, United States
• National Heart Institute, Beverly Hills, California, United States
• Florida Kidney Physicians LLC, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, United States
• Total Research Group, LLC, Miami, Florida, United States
• Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, United States
• East Coast Institute For Research LLC, Macon, Georgia, United States
• Kootenai Research Services, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States
• Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
• University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States
• Kansas Nephrology Research Institute, LLC, Wichita, Kansas, United States

+ 468 more sites.

Who to contact

Boehringer Ingelheim · 1-800-243-0127 · clintriage.rdg@boehringer-ingelheim.com

It's completely normal to call and ask questions before deciding anything. Mention the study ID: NCT06531824.