Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease With Low Dose Rivaroxaban in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

Background and Rationale Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a major international health burden. Despite the unacceptably high burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated mortality, trial-data on the management of CVD in people with advanced stages of CKD and dialysis-dependent kidney failure are sparse. Risk of bleeding in CKD and dialysis-dependent kidney failure is increased when compared to the general population. Anticoagulant agents, such as rivaroxaban, are a core intervention in the prevention of CVD in the general population. Nevertheless, to mitigate trial risks, 90% of the trials evaluating this form of intervention exclude these patient populations.

The TRACK trial will evaluate the effect of low dose rivaroxaban in patients with CKD dialysis-dependent kidney failure. Other trials have demonstrated that rivaroxaban reduces the risk of major cardio-vascular outcomes in high risk patients, and the limited data showed that CKD status did not significantly affect this result.

Hypothesis Compared to placebo, low dose rivaroxaban reduces the risk of major adverse cardiac event (MACE) in people with CKD stages 4 or 5 or dialysis-dependent kidney failure, and elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk (marked by a history of CAD or PAD, or non-haemorrhagic non-lacunar stroke OR diabetes mellitus OR age ≥65 years).

Objectives The primary objective is to determine whether low dose rivaroxaban, compared to placebo, significantly reduces the risk of a composite outcome of;

• CV death,

• non-fatal myocardial infarction,

• stroke, or

• peripheral artery disease (PAD) events

in people with CKD stages 4 or 5 or dialysis-dependent kidney failure, and an elevated CV risk (marked by a history of CAD or PAD, or non-haemorrhagic non-lacunar stroke OR diabetes mellitus OR age ≥65 years).

A full list of secondary objectives are detailed in the protocol, and include identifying risk reduction in the treatment group, and whether this treatment is cost effective.

Methodology The TRACK trial is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, prospective, randomised, quadruple-blind (participant, healthcare provider, data collector, outcomes assessor), placebo-controlled trial. The trial will test for the superiority of the trial intervention using a 1:1 allocation to parallel trial groups, on the basis of a pre-specified number of primary outcomes events.

This is a global trial and will be conducted in renal units that provide comprehensive CKD care. Approximately 2,000 participants will be recruited.