Persistency is Low for Late-Stage Anemic CKD Non-Dialysis Patients Treated with Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents

BURLINGTON, Mass., Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --  Decision Resources Group finds that through examination of U.S. patient-level claims data, anemic chronic kidney disease non-dialysis (CKD-ND) patients are not highly persistent with their erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) medication. In addition, one-year persistency is similar between Amgen's Aranesp and Janssen's Procrit.

Other key findings from the report entitled Treatment Algorithms in Nephrology: An Analysis of Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents in Late Stage Chronic Kidney Disease and Phosphate Binders in Dialysis:

• Procrit was the most commonly prescribed first-line ESA in newly diagnosed CKD-ND patients, claiming more than a majority of patient share.
• The use of Procrit in late stage CKD has increased during the study period, while the use of Aranesp has declined.
• The vast majority of dialysis patients are taking only one phosphate binder for their hyperphosphatemia treatment.
• Dialysis patients on combination therapy are most likely to be taking calcium acetate and Sanofi's Renvela tablets.
• Among recently treated dialysis patients, Renvela tablets was the most commonly prescribed phosphate binder, claiming a majority of the patient share in the fourth quarter of 2013. Calcium acetate followed, claiming roughly one-third of the patient share.
  • All other phosphate binders covered in the report claimed less than 10 percent patient share in the fourth quarter of 2013, including Shire's Fosrenol, Sanofi's Renagel, Sanofi's Renvela powder and Fresenius Medical Care's Phoslyra.
• Calcium acetate persistency among dialysis patients is lower than that of Renvela tablets. There may be several reasons for this, including greater use of calcium acetate combination therapy.

Comments from Decision Resources Group Director Rob Dubman:

• "U.S. claims data confirm that ESA persistency is low in anemic CKD-ND patients. For example, less than half of CKD-ND patients who were using an ESA in January 2013 were still using the same ESA in December 2013. Safety guidelines that recommend stopping (or lowering) treatment when the target hemoglobin level is reached or if the patient is unresponsive are likely contributors to this high discontinuation rate."
• "The use of phosphate binder combination therapy in dialysis was not surprisingly low in this report as we typically find that physicians overstate their use of phosphate binder combination therapy. This may have important implications for manufacturers entering the hyperphosphatemia market, as it is about to become even more crowded."

Additional Resources:

A ChartTrends report that is expected to publish in October 2014 entitled Renal Anemia in CKD-ND (US) will also help manufacturers understand additional dynamics of ESA use in the late stage CKD non-dialysis setting.

About Decision Resources Group
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For more information, contact:
Decision Resources Group
Christopher Comfort
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[email protected]

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SOURCE Decision Resources Group