Purpose of reviewDiabetic kidney disease is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease in the world. Risk factor modification, glucose control, and renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system blockade have remained the standard of care for 2 decades. New therapeutic agents have emerged in recent years, demonstrating kidney and cardiovascular benefits, and herein we review recent clinical trials on this topic.Recent findingsAfter the publication of several cardiovascular outcome trials for sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), new trials have focused ON primary kidney-specific outcomes demonstrating safety and benefits among patients with proteinuric CKD; patients with or without diabetes, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) respectively. Similarly, nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (ns-MRAs) and glucagon-like-peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have improved cardiovascular and kidney outcomes. Recently, clinical practice guidelines have also been updated to reflect this new evidence.SummaryIn summary, SGLT-2i, GLP-1 RAs, and ns-MRAs have demonstrated cardiovascular and kidney benefits, including all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, progression to end-stage kidney disease, and hospitalizations for heart failure exacerbation among diverse patient population.