Repurposed kidney drug may offer hope to infertile women, Hong Kong study finds

A drug for diabetes-related kidney disease could be repurposed to restore fertility for women affected by premature ovarian insufficiency, a largely untreatable condition, according to a study by Hong Kong researchers.

The study, conducted by experts at the faculty of medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), found that finerenone – a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes-related chronic kidney disease – could be used to awaken dormant small follicles in women and promote the development of follicles into mature eggs and form viable embryos.

Pending larger-scale research, the results could yield a relatively affordable treatment alternative with few side effects, medical experts said on Monday.

Ernest Ng Hung-yu, a clinical professor at the university’s faculty of medicine and member of the research team, said the new research was a “paradigm shift” from current treatment, which primarily focused on stimulating the follicles, towards improving the ovarian micro-environment.

“I think it’s quite a breakthrough because the current treatment for patients who actually have premature ovarian insufficiency is to just wait until the patients – sometimes in very small proportion – may have follicular development, but it can take maybe several months or even … years,” Ng said.

“So basically we just tell the patient that there’s no effective treatment, especially drug treatment.”