ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03020303ACHIEVEUpdated Aug 13, 2026

Aldosterone bloCkade for Health Improvement EValuation in End-stage Renal Disease

A Phase 3 interventional study of Spironolactone 25Mg Tablet and Placebo Oral Tablet in Endstage Renal Disease, sponsored by Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation. Completed at 141 sites in 12 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-13.

Sponsored by Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation · Phase 3, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
2,538
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Individuals receiving dialysis are at risk of heart failure and heart related death. There is an urgent need for treatments that reduce the risk of these problems in patients that require dialysis.

Spironolactone is a pill used to prevent heart failure and related deaths in patients that do not require dialysis. It works by blocking a hormone (aldosterone) in your body that causes high blood pressure and can damage the heart. Although spironolactone is very effective in patients that do not require dialysis, we do not know if spironolactone is effective in dialysis patients. Our research will help determine if spironolactone reduces heart failure and heart related deaths in dialysis patients.

The purpose of this study is to determine if spironolactone reduces death or hospitalization for heart failure and is well tolerated in patients that require dialysis.

Read the detailed description

Globally, over 2 million people receive dialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 650,000 new patients start dialysis each year. Furthermore, the number of patients receiving dialysis is increasing as access to dialysis in the developing world improves and the prevalence of diabetes and vascular disease rises. Despite technical advances in dialysis, the outcomes for patients with ESRD are poor. Patients have frequent hospitalizations, poor health related quality of life and strikingly, high mortality rates.

The most common cause of death in patients receiving dialysis is cardiovascular disease, accounting for >40% of all deaths. Observational studies suggest a causal pathway to cardiovascular death that includes progressive ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation as well as accelerated atherosclerosis. These changes result in myocardial ischemia and cardiac fibrosis that, in turn, lead to heart failure, arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. Strongly implicated in this pathophysiology is aldosterone. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) in non-ESRD patients, prevent cardiovascular deaths and small randomized controlled trials of MRAs in ESRD suggests they may reduce death and may be safe.

Spironolactone is the most commonly used MRA worldwide. We will conduct a multicentre randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine if spironolactone reduces cardiac mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure in patients treated with dialysis. This trial is called the Aldosterone bloCkade for Health Improvement EValuation in End-stage renal disease (ACHIEVE).

02

Conditions studied

  • Endstage Renal Disease
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation is the lead sponsor of 242 studies on the registry; 38 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Age

    1. ≥45 years or
    2. ≥18 with a history of diabetes
  2. On dialysis ≥ 90 days
  3. On either

    1. Hemodialysis prescribed at least 2 treatments per week or
    2. Peritoneal dialysis prescribed with at least 1 exchange daily
  4. Provides

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Hyperkalemia

    1. Serum potassium >5.8 mmol/L in the 6 weeks prior to enrollment or
    2. Serum potassium >6.0 mmol/L during active run-in
  2. Currently taking and unable to withdraw a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (i.e. spironolactone or eplerenone).
  3. Known sensitivity or allergy to spironolactone
  4. Current or planned pregnancy or breastfeeding
  5. Scheduled living related donor renal transplant
  6. \< 6 months in the opinion of a treating nephrologist.
  7. Enrolled in another interventional trial testing a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist or drug that has a known or likely interaction with spironolactone.
  8. Treating physician believes either spironolactone is either absolutely indicated or absolutely
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
2,538 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo Oral Tablet

    A tablet with no active medication that will be an exact match of the active spironolactone in taste and appearance

    Drug: Placebo Oral Tablet

  • Active comparator
    Spironolactone 25 MG Tablet

    25 mg of active spironolactone in tablet form

    Drug: Spironolactone 25Mg Tablet

Interventions

  • Randomized participants will receive a study supply of spironolactone 25 mg tablets. They will be instructed to take 1 tablet daily.

  • DrugPlacebo Oral Tablet

    Randomized participants will receive a study supply of placebo tablets with no active medical ingredients. They will be instructed to take 1 tablet daily.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. CV Death or Hospitalization for Heart Failure

    Time frame: up to 5 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cause specific death

    Time frame: up to 5 years

  2. Hospitalization for Heart Failure

    Time frame: up to 5 years

  3. All-cause death

    Time frame: up to 5 years

  4. All-cause Hospitalization

    Time frame: up to 5 years

  5. Hospitalization for hyperkalemia

    Time frame: up to 5 years

07

Study locations

141 sites
  • Canberra Hospital
    Garran, Australian Capital Territory 2605, Australia
  • Concord Repatriation General Hospital
    Concord, New South Wales 2139, Australia
  • Northern Beaches Hospital
    Frenchs Forest, New South Wales 2086, Australia
  • Royal North Shore Hospital
    Wahroonga, New South Wales 2076, Australia
  • Sydney Adventist Hospital
    Wahroonga, New South Wales 2076, Australia
  • Sunshine Coast University Hospital
    Birtinya, Queensland 4575, Australia
  • Royal Brisbane Women&#39;s Hospital
    Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
  • Princess Alexandra Hospital
    Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
  • Monash Health
    Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
  • Western Health - Sunshine Hospital
    Saint Albans, Victoria 3021, Australia
  • Santa Casa de Misericordia de Belo Horizonte
    Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte 30150221, Brazil
  • Medical School of Botucatu of the Paulista State University - UNESP
    Rubião Júnior, Botucatu 18618-687, Brazil
  • Fundacao Pro-Rim
    Boa Vista, Joinville 89227680, Brazil
  • Felicio Rocho Foundation - Hospital Felicio Rocho
    Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30110934, Brazil
  • Fundacao Hospitalar Sao Francisco de Assis
    Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31110580, Brazil
  • Servico Ubaense de Nefrologia Ltda
    Ubá, Minas Gerais 36500008, Brazil
  • Sociedade Hospitalar Angelina Caron
    Campina Grande do Sul, Paraná 83430000, Brazil
  • Instituto Pro Renal Brazil
    Curitiba, Paraná 80440-020, Brazil
  • Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericordia de Porto Alegre -ISCMPA
    Bairro Santa Teresa, Porto Alegre 90020090, Brazil
  • Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
    Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90035-903, Brazil
  • Hospital Arquidiocesano Consul Carlos Reneaux
    Brusque, Santa Catarina 8835404, Brazil
  • PROCARDIO Clinica Cardiologica
    Blumenau, South Carolina 89010500, Brazil
  • Praxis Pesquisa Medica S/S
    Santo André, São Paulo 09090 790, Brazil
  • Santa Casa de Misericordia de Votuporanga
    Votuporanga, São Paulo 15500003, Brazil
  • Hospital Alemao Oswaldo Cruz
    Bela Vista, Brazil
  • Santa Casa de Misericordia de Ponta Grossa
    Ponta Grossa, Brazil
  • Foothills Hospital
    Calgary, Alberta T2N 2T9, Canada
  • University of Alberta
    Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada
  • Royal Inland Hospital
    Kamloops, British Colombia V2C 2T1, Canada
  • Kelowna General Hospital
    Kelowna, British Colombia V1Y 1T2, Canada
  • St. Pauls Hospital
    Vancouver, British Colombia V6Z 1Y6, Canada
  • Penticton Regional Hospital
    Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
  • Queen Elizabeth II Health Science Centre
    Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1V7, Canada
  • Cape Breton Regional Hospital
    Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Health Sciences North Research Institute
    Greater Sudbury, Ontario P3E 5J1, Canada
  • St. Joseph's Healthcare
    Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4A6, Canada
  • Queens University at Kingston General Hospital, Division of Nephrology
    Kingston, Ontario, Canada
  • Victoria Hospital
    London, Ontario N6A 5W9, Canada
  • Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
    Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4E9, Canada
  • St. Michael's Hospital
    Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada
  • St. Josephs, Toronto
    Toronto, Ontario M6R 1B5, Canada
  • Humber River Health
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • CIUSSS Hopital Maisonneuve- Rosemont
    Montreal, Quebec H1T 2M4, Canada
  • Centre Hospitalier de l&#39;Universite de Montreal (CHUM)
    Montreal, Quebec H2W 1T8, Canada
  • Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal
    Montreal, Quebec H4J 1C5, Canada
  • The Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • CHU de Quebec L'Hotel-Dieu de Quebec
    Québec, Quebec G1R 2J6, Canada
  • Peking University First Hospital
    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • Peking University Peoples Hospital
    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University
    Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College
    Baotou, China
  • Beijing Miyun District Hospital
    Beijing, China
  • Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University
    Beijing, China
  • Emergency General Hospital
    Beijing, China
  • Faw General Hospital of Jilin Province
    Changchun, China
  • The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
    Enshi, China
  • Huai'an First Peoples Hospital
    Huai'an, China
  • The First Hospital of Kunming
    Kunming, China
  • Gansu Baoshihua Hospital
    Lanzhou, China
  • Yichuan County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
    Luoyang, China
  • Shanghai Tongji Hospital
    Shanghai, China
  • Shanxi Provincial Peoples Hospital
    Shanxi, China
  • Shuyang County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
    Suqian, China
  • Sihong County Fenjinting Hospital
    Suqian, China
  • Tianjin Fifth Central Hospital
    Tianjin, China
  • Tianjin Third Central Hospital
    Tianjin, China
  • Tongiao City Hospital
    Tongliao, China
  • Xinxiang First Peoples Hospital
    Xinxiang, China
  • General Hospital of Xuzhou Mining Group
    Xuzhou, China
  • Peoples Hospital of Yuxi City
    Yuxi, China
  • Peoples Hospital of Zhongwei
    Zhongwei, China
  • Clinefnorte CIA Ltda
    Quito, Pichincha 170303, Ecuador
  • Nefromedic SA
    Quito, Pichincha 170601, Ecuador
  • Madras Medical College Chennai
    Park Town, Chennai 600003, India
  • Narayana Hrudayalaya Limited
    Bangalore, Karnataka 560099, India
  • Fortis Hospitals
    Bengaluru, Karnataka 560076, India
  • K S Hegde Medical Academy
    Mangaluru, Karnataka 575018, India
  • Nanjappa Hospitals Shimoga
    Shimoga, Karnataka 577201, India
  • AsterMedCity
    Kochi, Kerala 682027, India
  • Caritas Hospital
    Kottayam, Kerala 686630, India
  • AIMS Hospital Mumbai
    Dombivali, Maharashtra 421203, India
  • National Health and Education Society
    Mumbai, Maharashtra 400016, India
  • Ashirwad Hospital Mumbai
    Mumbai, Maharashtra 421004, India
  • Dhadiwal Hospital
    Nashik, Maharashtra 422002, India
  • ACE Hospital Une
    Pune, Maharashtra 411004, India
  • Aditya Birla Hospital
    Pune, Maharashtra 411033, India
  • Vijaya Hospital
    Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600026, India
  • Apollo Hospitals
    Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600081, India
  • Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences
    Hyderabad, Telangana 500082, India
  • Osmania General Hospital
    Hyderabad, Telegana 500012, India
  • Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai
    Madurai, India
  • Father Muller Medical College
    Mangalore, India
  • Seven Star Hospital
    Nagpur, India
  • Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru
    Johor Bahru, Johor 80100, Malaysia
  • Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah
    Muar town, Johor, Malaysia
  • Hospital Kuala Lumpur
    Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur 42896, Malaysia
  • University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
    Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
  • Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah Kuala Terengganu
    Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu 33158, Malaysia
  • Hospital Taiping
    Taiping, Perak 34000, Malaysia
  • Hospital Pulau Pinang
    George Town, Pulau Pinang 10990, Malaysia

Showing the first 100 of 141 sites across 12 countries. Choose a country and city above to see the rest.

08

References and documents

Publications

  • Quach K, Lvtvyn L, Baigent C, Bueti J, Garg AX, Hawley C, Haynes R, Manns B, Perkovic V, Rabbat CG, Wald R, Walsh M. The Safety and Efficacy of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Patients Who Require Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Kidney Dis. 2016 Oct;68(4):591-598. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2016.04.011. Epub 2016 Jun 3. PubMed 27265777 ↗
  • Walsh M, Manns B, Garg AX, Bueti J, Rabbat C, Smyth A, Tyrwhitt J, Bosch J, Gao P, Devereaux PJ, Wald R. The Safety of Eplerenone in Hemodialysis Patients: A Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2015 Sep 4;10(9):1602-8. doi: 10.2215/CJN.12371214. Epub 2015 Jul 2. PubMed 26138259 ↗
  • Walsh M, Collister D, Gallagher M, Mark PB, de Zoysa JR, Tyrwhitt J, Tennankore K, Reis G, Xavier D, Liu WJ, Zuo L, Wang AY, Felix C, Sola L, Arici M, Villanueva R, Jha V, Precoma D, Rabbat CG, Alavudeen SS, Faruqui AR, Lopez-Flecher M, Pyne L, Wald R, Yuan F, Balasubramanian K, Lee SF, Kuptsova A, Christou C, Devereaux PJ; ACHIEVE Investigators. Spironolactone versus placebo in patients undergoing maintenance dialysis (ACHIEVE): an international, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2025 Aug 16;406(10504):695-704. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01198-5. PubMed 40818850 ↗
  • Walsh M, Collister D, Gallagher M, Mark PB, de Zoysa JR, Tyrwhitt J, Tennankore K, Sola L, Reis G, Xavier D, Villanueva R, Liu WJ, Felix C, Zuo L, Arici M, Jha V, Wald R, Wang AY, Faruqui AR, Yuan F, Lee SF, Kuptsova A, Christou C, Devereaux PJ; ACHIEVE Investigators. The Aldosterone Blockade for Health Improvement Evaluation in End-Stage Renal Disease (ACHIEVE) Trial: Rationale and Clinical Research Protocol. Can J Kidney Health Dis. 2025 Jun 3;12:20543581251348187. doi: 10.1177/20543581251348187. eCollection 2025. PubMed 40470466 ↗
  • Huang B, McDowell G, Rao A, Lip GYH. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist for chronic kidney disease, risk or benefit? J Hypertens. 2024 Mar 1;42(3):396-398. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003643. Epub 2024 Feb 1. No abstract available. PubMed 38289999 ↗
  • Soomro QH, Charytan DM. Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists and Cardiovascular Health with Kidney Failure. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021 Jun;16(6):843-845. doi: 10.2215/CJN.04460421. No abstract available. PubMed 34117077 ↗
  • Collister D, Mbuagbaw L, Guyatt G, Devereaux PJ, Tennankore KK, Reis G, Sola L, Xavier D, Jha V, Gallagher M, Dans AL, Liu W, de Zoysa J, Felix C, Mark PB, Li Z, Tyrwhitt J, Wilkinson J, Sheridan P, Yuan F, Walsh M; ACHIEVE investigators. Three week compared to seven week run-in period length and the assessment of pre-randomization adherence: A study within a trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Aug;107:106466. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106466. Epub 2021 Jun 5. PubMed 34098039 ↗
  • Hasegawa T, Nishiwaki H, Ota E, Levack WM, Noma H. Aldosterone antagonists for people with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Feb 15;2(2):CD013109. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013109.pub2. PubMed 33586138 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — N/A - no plan to make IPD available to other researchers

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 13, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03020303
Collaborators
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Population Health Research Institute
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 13, 2017
Start date
Jul 7, 2017
Primary completion
Mar 14, 2025
Completion
Mar 14, 2025
Last update
Aug 13, 2026

Study contacts

Michael Walsh, MD, PhD
principal investigator · McMaster University
PJ Devereaux, MD, PhD
study chair · McMaster University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Spironolactone

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