Chlorthalidone in Chronic Kidney Disease (CLICK)

It is estimated that in the United States there are approximately 8 million individuals who have moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD). Among them hypertension is common and is often poorly controlled due to an expanded volume state; diuretics are frequently prescribed. Loop diuretics are potent and effective in lowering blood pressure (BP) but their use is associated with acute kidney injury. Thiazide diuretics, on the other hand, are less potent, their use may be associated with less acute kidney injury, but as yet there are no firm data to support that thiazide diuretic therapy can improve BP among subjects with advanced CKD. The investigators found 13 studies on the use of thiazide diuretics in advanced CKD either alone or in combination with loop diuretics and concluded that thiazides may be useful. Thiazides cause a negative Na balance, increase Na excretion by 10-15% and weight loss by 1-2 kg in observational studies. Observational data show that thiazides lead to an improvement in seated clinic BP of about 10-15 mmHg systolic and 5-10 mmHg diastolic whereas randomized trials show about a 15 mmHg reduction in mean BP. Randomized trials had only between 7 and 23 subjects each; accordingly, larger studies are needed to evaluate their safety and efficacy in moderate to advanced CKD.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypertension; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Chlorthalidone; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

This is a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of chlorthalidone (CTD) in patients with CKD and poorly controlled hypertension

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 160
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Indiana University School of Medicine, Division of Nephrology

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age greater than 18 years.
2. Calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by 4-component Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula < 30 ml/min/1.73m2 but ≥15 mL/min/1.73m2. The hospital laboratory uses isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) calibrated creatinine and the appropriate formula is used to estimate GFR.
3. Hypertension. This is defined as BP of either ≥130 systolic or ≥80 mmHg by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.
4. Treatment with antihypertensive drugs: This would require the use of at least one antihypertensive drug. One of the drugs should be either an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). If these are contraindicated then use of a beta-blocker is required prior to randomization.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Use of thiazide or thiazide-like drugs in the previous 12 weeks.
2. Use of furosemide in a dose >200 mg/d.
3. BP of either ≥160 systolic or ≥100 mmHg by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.
4. Expected to receive renal replacement therapy within the next 3 months.
5. Myocardial infarction, heart failure hospitalization, or stroke ≤3 months prior to randomization.
6. Pregnant or breastfeeding women or women who are planning to become pregnant or those not using a reliable form of contraception (oral contraceptives. condoms and diaphragms will be considered reliable).
7. Known hypersensitivity to thiazide or sulfa drugs.
8. Organ transplant recipient or therapy with immunosuppressive agents.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Chlorthalidone; Subjects with stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and poorly controlled hypertension confirmed by 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring will be randomized into two groups, one receiving placebo and one receiving a diuretic called chlorthalidone (12.5 mg at randomization). Doubling of the dose of the diuretic (up to 50 mg) or placebo will occur every 4 weeks if required by home blood pressure (BP) results.	Drug: Chlorthalidone; This is a forced-titration study and the study drug will be increased if goal BP is not achieved (dosage of chlorthalidone not to exceed 50 mg)
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Subjects with stage 4 CKD and poorly controlled hypertension confirmed by 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring will be randomized into two groups, one receiving placebo and one receiving a diuretic called chlorthalidone (12.5 mg at randomization). Doubling of the dose of the diuretic (up to 50 mg) or placebo will occur every 4 weeks if required by home BP results.	Drug: Placebo; This is a forced-titration study and placebo will be increased if goal BP is not achieved.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change From Baseline to 12 Weeks in Systolic Ambulatory Blood Pressure in the Chlorthalidone Group Compared to Placebo.	Baseline to 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Changes in Albuminuria From Baseline at Each 4 Week Visit in the Log Transformed Albumin/Creatinine Ratio in the Chlorthalidone Group Compared to Placebo	Baseline to 12 weeks
Change From Baseline at Each 4 Week Visit in Log of Aldosterone and Log of Renin in the Chlorthalidone Group Compared to Placebo. No Adjustments Will be Made for Multiple Comparisons.	Baseline to 12 weeks
Change From Baseline at Each 4 Week Visit in Log of N-terminal Pro B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NTproBNP) in the Chlorthalidone Group Compared to Placebo. No Adjustments Will be Made for Multiple Comparisons.	Baseline to 12 weeks
Change From Baseline at Each 4 Week Visit in Body Volume in the Chlorthalidone Group Compared to Placebo. No Adjustments Will be Made for Multiple Comparisons.	Baseline to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Indiana University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rajiv Agarwal, MD, Indiana University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Agarwal R, Sinha AD, Cramer AE, Balmes-Fenwick M, Dickinson JH, Ouyang F, Tu W. Chlorthalidone for Hypertension in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease. N Engl J Med. 2021 Dec 30;385(27):2507-2519. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2110730. Epub 2021 Nov 5.
• Agarwal R, Cramer AE, Balmes-Fenwick M, Sinha AD, Ouyang F, Tu W. Design and Baseline Characteristics of the Chlorthalidone in Chronic Kidney Disease (CLICK) Trial. Am J Nephrol. 2020;51(7):542-552. doi: 10.1159/000508700. Epub 2020 Jul 14.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 27, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): July 22, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 15, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 10, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Kidney Diseases; Urologic Diseases; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Renal Insufficiency; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Antihypertensive Agents; Natriuretic Agents; Membrane Transport Modulators; Diuretics; Sodium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; Chlorthalidone
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1507540384

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No