In April 2018 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tolvaptan (Jynarque), a VRA that’s used to help slow kidney function decline in adults with progressing ADPKD.
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This drug, the first of its kind to treat ADPKD, is taken by mouth and enters your bloodstream, where it then travels to your kidneys.
The drug attaches to a receptor called vasopressin 2 (V2) in your kidney cells, blocking the action of the hormone vasopressin in your kidneys
Vasopressin is a hormone secreted by your pituitary gland, at the base of your brain. It helps your body conserve water by promoting reabsorption in structures called collecting ducts in your kidneys, which capture water from filtered blood and send it back into your bloodstream, rather than sending it to your bladder to be excreted in urine.
Vasopressin also promotes the growth of cells and fluid secretion in the cysts that develop in the kidneys of people with ADPKD. These cysts lead to a loss of kidney function in several ways, including compressing and scarring healthy kidney tissue.
When the action of vasopressin in your kidneys is blocked, cysts in ADPKD can’t grow as quickly. This helps slow the decline of kidney function.
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