Denosumab Safety and Efficacy Among Participants in the FREEDOM Extension Study With Mild to Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease

CONTEXT: The effects of long-term exposure to denosumab in individuals with renal insufficiency are unknown. OBJECTIVE: This post hoc analysis evaluates the long-term safety and efficacy of denosumab in individuals with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) (stages 2 and 3) using data from the pivotal phase 3, double-blind, 3-year FREEDOM (NCT00089791) and open-label, 7-year extension (NCT00523341) studies. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Women age 60 to 90 years with a bone mineral density (BMD) T-score of less than –2.5 to greater than –4.0 at the total hip or lumbar spine were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive denosumab 60 mg subcutaneously every 6 months (long-term arm) or placebo (cross-over arm) in FREEDOM; eligible participants could enroll in the extension to receive denosumab 60 mg subcutaneously every 6 months. Change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from study baseline and annualized rates of fracture and adverse events (AEs) were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: Most participants (1259/1969 [64%] long-term arm; 1173/1781 [66%] crossover arm) with baseline CKD stage 2 or 3 remained within the same CKD subgroup at study completion; less than 3% progressed to CKD stage 4. Participants in all eGFR subgroups showed similar, persistent BMD gains over time and a low incidence of fractures. The percentage of participants reporting serious AEs was similar among renal subgroups (normal, CKD stage 2, CKD stage 3a, CKD stage 3b) both for the long-term (54% vs 52% vs 57% vs 58%) and crossover (43% vs 42% vs 43% vs 68%) arms, except CKD stage 3b subgroup, crossover arm. CONCLUSION: The safety and efficacy of denosumab did not differ among participants with mild to moderate CKD.