Data from a German study suggest that IV-administered epoetin zeta—a new erythropoietin preparation—is safe for maintenance treatment of anemia in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Ferumoxytol, a novel, semi-synthetic, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle administered by injection, is well tolerated and has a safety profile similar to placebo in CKD patients with anemia, according to a report in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Anemia management in CKD patients remains an ongoing challenge for renal health professionals, especially regarding iron supplementation.

Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a marker of inflammation, predict greater requirements of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs).

Patients on hemodialysis and CKD patients not dialysis have a better hemoglobin response when treated with IV iron than with oral iron, but the difference in effect is stronger in hemodialysis patients, a meta-analysis showed.

Black patients on long-term hemodialysis receive greater doses of erythropoietin (EPO) than their white counterparts even though both races achieve similar hemoglobin levels, data show.

STOCKHOLM—Hematide doses administered every four weeks (Q4W) maintains long-term mean hemoglobin levels between 11 and 12 g/dL in CKD patients, and it is well tolerated, according to preliminary data from an ongoing phase II trial.

GRAPEVINE, Tex.—Higher levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) may lower the risk of anemia and elevated C-reactive protein levels may raise the risk, according to new study findings that may explain much of the high prevalence of anemia among individuals with kidney disease, researchers conclude.

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., has announced that the FDA has accepted for standard review its New Drug Application (NDA) for ferumoxytol as an IV treatment of iron deficiency anemia in CKD patients.

SAN FRANCISCO—Dialysis patients hospitalized for infection, GI bleeding, or a major surgical procedure may experience a significant decline in hematocrit (Hct) levels, researchers say. The decline increases with length of stay.