Efficacy and Safety of Niaoduqing Particles for Delaying Moderate-to-severe Renal Dysfunction： A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Multicenter Clinical Study

Background： Chronic kidney disease （CKD） with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction usually exhibits an irreversible course, and available treatments for delaying the progression to end-stage renal disease are limited. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine, Niaoduqing particles, for delaying renal dysfunction in patients with stage 3b-4 CKD.Methods： The present study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, naulticentcr clinical trial. Frorn May 2013 to December 2013,300 CKD patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR） between 20 and 45 ml ＂rain ~＂ 1.73 m 2, aged 18-70 years were recruited from 22 hospitals in 11 Chinese provinces. Patients were randomized in a 1：1 ratio to either a test group, which was administered Niaoduqing particles 5 g thrice daily and 10 g before bedtime for 24 weeks, or a control group, which was administered a placebo using the same methods. The primary endpoints were changes in baseline serum creatinine （Scr） and eGFR after completion of treatment. The primary endpoints were analyzed using Student＇s t-test or Wilcoxon＇s rank-sum test. The present study reported results based on an intention-to-treat （ITT） analysis. Results： A total of 292 participants underwent the ITT analysis. At 24 weeks, the median （interquartile range） change in Scr was 1.1 （-13.0-24.1） and 11.7 （-2.6-42.9） p, mol/L for the test and control groups, respectively （Z = 2.642, P = 0.008）, and the median change in eGFR was -0.2 （-4.3-2.7） and -2.2 （-5.7-0.8） ml.min-1·1.73 m-2, respectively （Z = -2.408, P = 0.016）. There were no significant differences in adverse events between the groups. Conclusions： Niaoduqing particles safely and effectively delayed CKD progression in patients with stage 3b-4 CKD. This traditional Chinese medicine may be a promising alternative medication for patients with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction.