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news.Genzyme has announced data showing that Renagel, the company's treatment for chronic kidney disease, can significantly reduce the death rate in long-term dialysis patients, causing the company's stock to jump by 7%.
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The data come from the largest outcomes study ever conducted in the hemodialysis population. The three-year trial involving more than 2,100 patients compared the difference in mortality and morbidity outcomes for patients receiving Renagel (sevelamer hydrochloride) with those using calcium-based phosphate binders.
The study found that Renagel use resulted in the strongest clinical benefit in two groups of patients: those who were treated for two years or more, and those who were 65 years of age or older.
Patients using Renagel for two years or more were 34% less likely to die than patients using calcium-based phosphate binders. Participants who were over 65 years of age were 22% less likely to die. Those over 65 who had used the product for over two years had the most benefit, being 54% less likely to die.
Overall patients using Renagel experienced a 9% reduced risk of death from all causes.
“This is an unprecedented moment for patients on dialysis,” said lead investigator Wadi Suki, a clinical professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “For the first time, a treatment has been shown to reduce the alarmingly high rate of death and illness seen in patients on dialysis. These results strongly suggest that Renagel treatment can have a dramatic impact on patients’ lives, and will help to redefine how physicians manage phosphorus in patients on dialysis.”
Genzyme charges $1,500 to $2,500 a year for Renagel, which is given to dialysis patients to help prevent phosphate build-up.