Analysis of:
US FDA staff cautious on anemia drugs' risks (www.therapeuticsdaily.com)
Results of recent studies have suggested that using erythropoetin to fully correct anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease or the use of Epo products in patients with cancer associated anemia is not associated with substantial clinical benefits and may actually increase the risk of...
Analysis of:
FDA Panel Favors First-Line Use of Irbesartan/HCTZ Combo (www.medscape.com)
It is unusual for a combination tablet (of the angiotensin receptor blocker irbesartan with the thiazide diuretic hydroclorothiazide) to be recommended as a first line agent.
Combination tablets were often reserved for patients who had been titrated to appropriate effective doses and...
Analysis of:
Cholesterol Drugs Linked to Parkinson’s (www.newsinferno.com)
This study is confusing and problematic.Fact: Statins have been used for many years and this association has never been seen.The sample size was small.The study did not take into account the dietary intake (intake of fats) of the two groups in the study.
Analysis of:
Fresenius Medical Care Announces Positive Results from PhosLo CARE-2 Study (www.pipelinereview.com)
The hypothesis that calcium administered as a phosphate binder is an important cause of calcification of blood vessels (particularly coronary arteries) is not supported by this study. The study, however, is too short to be definitive, the same problem the DCOR study had for Genzyme to prove the superiority...
Analysis of:
Phase 3 Trial of Ferumoxytol Demonstrates Statistically Significant Achievement of All Primary and Secondary Endpoints (www.ptcommunity.com)
Ferumoxytol may have the advantage over its competitors Venofer and Ferrlecit that it can be administered more quickly and in a larger dose. This study showed that it led to better iron supplementation than oral iron which is not an important route of iron supplementation in patients taking Epo, Procrit,...
Analysis of:
Heart Risk Seen in Drug for Anemia (www.nytimes.com)
Higher hemoglobin values were again associated with higher cardiovascular endpoints. The NKF will put together a group to consider revising the target for treatment of anemia to a lower value, perhaps 10-12 or 11-12 g/dl.
Analysis of:
Heart Risk Seen in Drug for Anemia (www.nytimes.com)
ESA agents have drastically changed management of anemiaESA agents have gotten a bad reputation
Analysis of:
Roche, Amgen Prepare For Battle (biz.yahoo.com)
CERA may be longer acting than Epogen or Procrit but its superiority to Aranesp, the long-acting Amgen product, has not yet been demonstrated.
Analysis of:
Phase 3 Trial of Ferumoxytol Demonstrates Statistically Significant Achievement of All Primary and Secondary Endpoints (www.ptcommunity.com)
Ferumoxytol is a parenteral iron preparation with the key advantage of being administered quickly and in a relatively higher dose than other parenteral agents. However, its superiority in this study to oral iron is not surprising; the question will be how it compares to the other popular agents, Ferrlecit...