A treatment option for adults with persistently high levels of potassium in their blood will be made available to more people in England living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b to 5 or heart failure, following new draft guidance. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today announced that the treatment – sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) – will be recommended for patients with persistent hyperkalaemia – or high levels of potassium in their blood. The guidance extends patient access to the treatment by reducing the qualifying criteria from 6.0mmol per litre to 5.5mmol per litre of potassium in the blood for those not taking optimised doses of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors (due to hyperkalaemia) or those on dialysis.   

Kidney Research UK welcomes this decision which will more than double the number of patients who are eligible for SZC treatment.   

Potassium is a key mineral in the human body affecting electrical impulses in nerves and muscles; dangerously high levels can increase cardiovascular risk. 

Alison Railton, Kidney Research UK’s director of policy and public affairs, said: “This is welcome news for adults living with persistent hyperkalaemia which is linked to serious complications, including hospitalisation, major cardiovascular events and mortality. 

“The new guidance will also allow more patients to be optimised on RAAS inhibitors which we know have important cardiorenal protective effects.”