Dr. Vicente Torres

The announcement of our first FDA-approved treatment for ADPKD is not only a major success for PKD patients, but also for nephrologists who have spent decades caring for their health. We reached out recently to Vicente Torres, M.D., Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic Translational PKD Center to get a researcher’s take on the news:

For centuries, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) was a curse for affected individuals and entire families. Medical advances have improved quality of life and life expectancy for ADPKD patients, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of tolvaptan is the first treatment that directly targets the disease mechanisms to slow its progression. The clinical trials of tolvaptan which led to this landmark approval would not have occurred without the dedication and perseverance of the 4,213 patients from 23 countries who participated in the ADPKD program in the last 14 years. It has been an exciting journey with a happy end, but there is still more progress to be made. The results from these clinical trials strongly suggest that tolvaptan treatment will delay the need for renal replacement therapy in patients with rapidly progressive disease. This information is crucial for highly motivated ADPKD patients and their involvement as interactive partners in the management of their condition. Individually, and through their participation in ADPKD patient organizations, they will continue to increase disease awareness and vigorously advocate for needed research and optimization of healthcare.

Learn more about the different types of clinical studies and how you can get involved with finding treatments by watching our video:

JYNARQUE™ is hopefully the first treatment of many. To help discover new possible treatments for PKD, get involved with clinical trials. Check out our website to see if you or someone you know is eligible for a current study!