Welcome to the Chronic Kidney Disease Newsletter. If you are person with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis or helping care for someone who is, this newsletter was created for you! The content is meant to keep you and/or a family member up to date on the latest information to help you manage your health now or in the near future in consultation with your physician.
In this month’s CKD Insider : Latest CMS Proposal, Lace Up for the NKF Fundraising Walks, Learn Something New, Fun Tip of the Day, and new potentially game changing anemia treatments that you can manage on your own.
Take Action!
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) submitted a proposal to encourage the development of new and innovative home dialysis machines. Read the CMS proposal here.
Home Dialyzers United pushed for earlier access to new home dialysis machines (2021 vs 2022) which is included in the Home Dialyzers United petition to the CMS.
Give your feedback to CMS directly HERE by Friday Sept 4th 11:59pm EST - they are required by law to read all comments.
Take a Walk and Support the National Kidney Foundation! Virtual Walks are happening all around the country.
Find a location in your area and help the NKF make a difference to all chronic kidney disease patients!
Learn Something New
If you would like to get the basics on the 2020 updated KDOQI clinical practice guidelines for nutrition in CKD that were just released read here or ask your nutritionist to break it down for you.
If you want to see what is being considered and discussed around chronic kidney disease across multiple government agencies visit the Chronic Kidney Disease Workgroup to see what topics are on the agenda here.
Preparation goes a long way. Learn about disaster planning for patients with kidney disease from the NIDDK here.
FUN TIP OF THE DAY
Need a Change of Scenery?
Looking for something different to do outdoors? Why not give camping a try! There are so many beautiful parks out there just waiting for you to visit! And during these COVID-19 times parks are often an easy place to social distance.
Check out these tips from National Geographic on everything about planning your trip from what to bring, where to go and how to stay COVID-19 safe!
New Approved Medications from around the Globe
Japan approves 2 more tablet form anemia treatments
Japan has now approved 3 drugs from this HIF-PHI drug class, the first drug approved was Evrenzo® (roxadustat) in September 2019.
More recently GSK’s Duvroq (daprodustat), and this month Akebia Therapeutics vadadustat tablets (tradename VAFSEO™) have been approved by the Japanese regulatory authorities.
The manufacturers are conducting global phase 3 trials (outside of Japan). These medications are not approved by the US FDA at this time.
What it is: A new class of drug (HIF-PH inhibitor) to treat anemia due to CKD that comes in tablet form. This class of drugs mimics the body’s natural physiologic response to low oxygen which triggers the bone marrow to make more red blood cells.
An example of when you might activate this pathway, is if you are in high altitude location where there is less oxygen available. This is a different mechanism of action from the erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which are commonly used to treat anemia in CKD.
Why it’s important to you: Most likely during your time on dialysis you have or will have challenges with anemia, and if you have been treated with ESAs, and found them not to be effective for you, this pill option could be a good alternative, as you can manage it on your own.
While this isn’t available in the US yet, the fact that 3 versions of this class of drug have been released in Japan and that phase 3 clinical trials are ongoing in the rest of the world means this treatment could be coming to you before you know it! Stay tuned!
References:
Akebia Therapeutics Announces First Commercial Launch of VAFSEO™ (vadadustat tablets), a NewOral Treatment for Anemia Due to Chronic Kidney Disease, in Japan
GSK's Duvroq, Akebia's Vafseo win global first nods in Japan to challenge Astellas' anemia drug
GSK receives first regulatory approval for Duvroq (daprodustat) in Japan for patients with anaemia due to chronic kidney disease
Evrenzo® (roxadustat) Tablets Approved in Japan for the Treatment of Anemia Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease in Dialysis Patients
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