Treatment of Renal Anemia in Patients With Hemodialysis Using Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF) Stabilizer, Roxadustat: A Short-term Clinical Study

Background/Aim: Renal anemia is a major complication in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis, increasing morbidity and mortality. Roxadustat is a novel oral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (PHI), which is administrated for renal anemia. Different from erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), Roxadustat could increase erythropoietin physiologically, improving the therapeutic effects. It has not been so long since Roxadustat was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thus, only a few studies have reported on the treatment of renal anemia using Roxadustat. Patients and Methods: In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of Roxadustat in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Nine patients under HD (72 +/- 10 years old) were enrolled in this study. Patients received Roxadustat first time or changed from ESAs (5-10 mg, 3 times a week after HD). Observation period was 5.3 +/- 2.9 months. Results: Roxadustat treatment effectively increased and maintained hemoglobin levels. Levels of ferritin and C-reactive protein tended to decrease, but the difference was not statistically significant. No significant adverse effects were observed in all patients during the study. Conclusion: Roxadustat is effective and relatively tolerant for treating renal anemia in patients subjected to hemodialysis.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the efficacy of Roxadustat in treating renal anemia in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The results showed that Roxadustat effectively increased and maintained hemoglobin levels. Although there was a tendency for ferritin and C-reactive protein levels to decrease, the difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, no significant adverse effects were observed during the study.