SEHSCT first to open for EASi-KIDNEY in NI

January 13, 2026

The NICRN Renal team in SEHSCT were delighted to be invited to take part in the largest Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) study ever, the EASi-KIDNEY trial. This study aims to recruit 11,000 participants with kidney disease from over 500 hospitals worldwide. As there is still no cure for CKD, new treatments continue to be explored. EASi-KIDNEY is investigating whether a new medication, vicadrostat, taken in combination with the established treatment empagliflozin, can reduce the risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events in patients with CKD.

The research team led by Dr Alastair Woodman, Consultant nephrologist at SEHSCT not only successfully opened as the first study site in Northern Ireland but they have also surpassed their initial recruitment target of 25 participants within 6 months.

The team in the Ulster Hospital continue to recruit to this study and look forward to seeing the results from this important trial.