The FLOW Trial: Semaglutide's Kidney Disease Evidence
TRIAL-000007
Part of the DietApp.com GLP-1 Trial Database, a comprehensive, regularly reviewed resource.
What It Is
FLOW, Effect of Semaglutide vs. Placebo on Kidney Outcomes in People with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease, is a Phase 3 trial specifically designed to test kidney outcomes, unlike earlier trials like LEADER and SUSTAIN-6, which found kidney signals as a secondary finding. It randomized 3,533 adults with type 2 diabetes and established chronic kidney disease to weekly semaglutide 1.0 mg or placebo, with a median follow-up of 3.4 years.
Key Results
FLOW was stopped early at a prespecified interim analysis because the efficacy was already clear. Semaglutide reduced major kidney disease events, a composite of kidney failure, a significant sustained reduction in kidney function, kidney-related death, or cardiovascular death, by 24% compared to placebo. This forms part of the evidence behind Ozempic's kidney disease risk reduction approval.
Why This Trial Was Different
Earlier cardiovascular outcome trials like LEADER and SUSTAIN-6 found kidney benefits as a secondary observation, since they weren't designed primarily to test kidney endpoints. FLOW was purpose-built to answer the kidney question directly, in a population specifically selected for existing chronic kidney disease, giving more definitive evidence than the earlier trials could provide on their own.
References
- Irvine Health: Semaglutide and Kidney Disease, The FLOW Trial
- Circulation: Effect of Semaglutide and Liraglutide on Kidney Outcomes
Related Resources
Related Articles
- The SUSTAIN-6 Trial
- The LEADER Trial
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Last medically reviewed and updated: July 11, 2026.
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