LAUSR

Purpose of review The aim of this study was to present recent developments in pharmacotherapy of hypertension in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent findings In the AMBER trial, compared with placebo, the potassium-binder patiromer mitigated the risk of hyperkalaemia and enabled more patients with uncontrolled resistant hypertension and stage 3b/4 CKD to tolerate and continue spironolactone treatment; add-on therapy with spironolactone provoked a clinically meaningful reduction of 11–12 mmHg in unattended automated office SBP over 12 weeks of follow-up. In the BLOCK-CKD trial, the investigational nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid-receptor-antagonist (MRA) KBP-5074 lowered office SBP by 7–10 mmHg relative to placebo at 84 days with a minimal risk of hyperkalaemia in patients with advanced CKD and uncontrolled hypertension. The CLICK trial showed that the thiazide-like diuretic chlorthalidone provoked a placebo-subtracted reduction of 10.5 mmHg in 24-h ambulatory SBP at 12 weeks in patients with stage 4 CKD and poorly controlled hypertension. Summary Enablement of more persistent spironolactone use with newer potassium-binding agents, the clinical development of novel nonsteroidal MRAs with a more favourable benefit-risk profile and the recently proven blood pressure lowering action of chlorthalidone are three therapeutic opportunities for more effective management of hypertension in high-risk patients with advanced CKD.