Wesson DE, et al. - In patients with chronic kidney disease, researchers tested the safety and effectiveness of veverimer [a non-absorbed, counterion-free, polymeric drug] as a treatment for metabolic acidosis. Patients (aged 18–85 years) with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate of 20–40 mL/min per 1·73 m²) and metabolic acidosis (serum bicarbonate concentration of 12–20 mmol/L) were eligible participants. During their typical diet, patients were randomly assigned (4:3) to veverimer 6 g/day or placebo for 12 weeks. Both drugs were taken in water with lunch as oral suspensions. According to this multicentre, parallel, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, veverimer corrected metabolic acidosis effectively and safely. Long-term studies are warranted to evaluate the effects of veverimer on physical functioning and to evaluate other harmful effects of metabolic acidosis including progression of chronic kidney disease and bone health. Diarrhoea, flatulence, nausea, and constipation were the most common treatment-related adverse events.