Anemia Due to CKD May See First-in-Class Drug This Year

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects almost 40 million people in the United States. The condition can cause a variety of health complications, including anemia. Treatments for anemia of CKD consist of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), the first of which the FDA approved in 1989. But a new kind of drug is poised to shake up the class, with the first expected approval potentially happening later this year.

When people’s kidneys are healthy, they produce erythropoietin, a product that prompts the bone marrow to make red blood cells. When the kidneys are damaged, their erythropoietin production goes down, causing a decline in red blood cells, which in turn causes anemia.

Angela Maas

Angela Maas

Angela has an extensive background of editing, reporting and writing for trade and consumer publications. She has written Radar on Specialty Pharmacy (formerly called Specialty Pharmacy News) since she joined AIS Health in 2005 and has broad knowledge of the various issues at play within the space. Before joining AIS Health, she was managing editor at Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit News Canada and managing editor at HemAware (a hemophilia publication), Lupus Living and Momentum (a multiple sclerosis publication). She has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in British literature from Arizona State University.

Related Posts

woman-feels-pain-in-colon
September 14

FDA Broadens Lonsurf Use in Colorectal Cancer

READ MORE
handshaking
September 14

Prime, Magellan Rx Offer Value Plus to Help States Negotiate Value-Based Contracts for CGTs

READ MORE
businessman-viewing-news-update-journalism-headline-on-a-laptop
September 14

News Briefs: Groups Sue HHS Over Lost Coverage of Certain Medicare Part B Drugs

READ MORE

GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND

Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.

subscribe today