George Clinical congratulates its parent company, The George Institute for Global Health for securing a project grant that could transform the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally and benefit millions of people globally.

The $5.5 million awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia’s peak funding body for medical research, is the largest ever project grant awarded for research into kidney disease, with additional support provided by Bayer. This important collaboration will bring together researchers from around the world in a new initiative aiming to prevent cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and death) in people who have advanced kidney disease.

This new international trial, being led by The George Institute and supported by Kidney Health Australia, Bayer and leading researchers from around the world, will evaluate whether a low dose of a blood-thinning medication, that is beneficial in people with cardiovascular disease, will also safely reduce the number of heart attacks, strokes and deaths with people with CKD.

Lead researcher Sunil Badve, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Medicine at The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Sydney, said: “Patients with chronic kidney disease are missing out on lifesaving treatments. We hope this trial will help millions of people around the world by providing them with a medication that will prevent them from dying of a heart attack or suffering a stroke.”

“It’s an exciting opportunity to address this unmet need and hopefully deliver a treatment that will save lives and also save money as CKD is a very complex condition to manage,” added Associate Professor Badve, who is also a nephrologist at St George Hospital, Sydney.

Around 2000 patients with CKD in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, China, Canada and the UK will take part in the five-year randomised trial and receive the blood thinning medication at a low dose to try to avoid associated side effects.

“George Clinical congratulates our colleagues at The George Institute for Global Health and their partners at Kidney Health Australia and Bayer,” Glenn Kerkhof, Executive Chairman said following the announcing. “This grant is testament to the high calibre and enduring impact of the work of The George Institute and it’s scientific leadership. This study is sure to have a substantially positive outcome both in the future treatment of CKD and most importantly, for patients.”

When completed it will be the first and the largest ever trial evaluation blood-thinning medications for people with CKD.

Media Enquiries:
Julia Timms, Senior Media Advisor, Australia
The George Institute for Global Health
P: +61 410 411 983 | E: [email protected]

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