EXTON, Pa.— Nephrologists appear to be settling into new renal anemia treatment standards, and more than two-thirds do not anticipate making any additional changes to their use of anemia drugs in chronic kidney disease or dialysis, according to a new report.
Some of the new renal anemia treatment standards include lower target hemoglobin levels, lower levels for anemia drug initiation, holds, and dose reductions.
The new anemia treatment findings were part of two reports released Oct. 28 by BioTrends Research Group Inc. The reports were based on survey results from 204 nephrologists and 201 renal dietitians in the United States, which looked into trends in the most used pharmaceuticals in renal care.
Amgen's anemia drug Epogen continues to dominate the dialysis market, BioTrends said. However, their survey found that there did seem to be some brand shifting between Amgen's Aranesp and Ortho Biotech's Procrit in CKD.
Nephrologists do not predict significant changes in anemia drug market share in CKD or dialysis in the near-term, but they do project that bundling will have an impact on anemia drug use, most likely through shifts to subcutaneous dosing and less aggressive treatment of hypo-responders, the report found. In addition, new anemia drugs in development could also shift market dynamics particularly if these products are able to meet what nephrologists identified as the most desired attributes in a new anemia drug.
