Rajeev Raghavan, MD: SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Rajeev Raghavan, MD, Internal Medicine Program Director, HCA Houston Healthcare Clinical, Professor of Medicine, University of Houston, led a presentation about case challenges in nephrology at Pri-Med West 2022. Later he took part in an expert panel discussion on cases in diabetes, alongside Tina Kaur Thethi, MD, MPH, Associate Investigator and Endocrinologist, AdventHealth Translational Research Institute.

During his presentation and in an interview with HCPLive, Raghavan empahsized the role of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists as new therapeutics available to slow progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). They're highly effective but like all treatments, these medications can produce adverse events.

The best option is the option that works for the patient, Raghavan said. For a treatment to be effective the patient needs to actually adhere to the medicine. Having an explorative conversation with the patient is important.

"Finding the right drug that works for your patient is probably the most important," Raghavan said. "So, having a conversation with the patient finding out, kind of, what their thoughts are and how adherent they're going to be to a medicine, what their potential side effects that they may be at increased risk for, finding how the medicine works for them."

Raghavan shared that it's an exciting time for nephrology now that nephrologists have a multitude of treatment options to utilize. The hope, he said, is that the progression of kidney disease significantly slows.

"I think convincing patients who have a healthy diet and lifestyle to take these medications knowing that, you know, these 2 or 3 different medicines will work in different ways to help slow the progression of diseases is important," he explained.