EXTON, Pa., Nov. 5 BioTrends Research Group, Inc. released three syndicated Nephrology TreatmentTrends® publications offering comprehensive insight into the management of renal anemia and bone and mineral metabolism in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Dialysis. These reports provide information gleaned from on-line interviews with 203 Nephrologists, 201 Renal Dietitians, 160 Anemia Managers, and 51 Dialysis Facility Administrators and Nephrology Office Practice Managers.
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Similar reports with varying audiences provide an inclusive and wide-ranging viewpoint on both anemia and bone management as well as insights into the roles, responsibilities and influence of the various players. Renal Dietitians (RDs) are an integral part of the dialysis patient care team and report a high level of influence in managing bone and mineral metabolism whereas Anemia Managers (AMs) play an integral role in the management of renal anemia with both dialysis and later stage CKD patients. The inclusion of Facility Administrators (FAs) and Practice Managers (PMs) provides insight into the business aspects of anemia management as this group tends to be responsible for ordering, billing, prior authorizations and contract negotiations related to both ESAs and IV iron.
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The third quarter of 2009 was a busy time in the renal anemia market. Findings from Amgen's TREAT study were released and AMAG Pharmaceuticals launched their new IV iron product, Feraheme. TREAT results were disappointing -- the study was unable to show that treating Type 2 Diabetic CKD patients with Aranesp to a target of 13 g/dL lowered the risk of death, CV events or time to dialysis. Most of the survey respondents were not familiar with TREAT details, but with the recent publication of the trial and the first public presentation of the results at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) meeting in San Diego, familiarity will likely be markedly increased in the next wave of this research. BioTrends will continue to track any impact that this study has on Nephrologists' use of ESAs.
Familiarity with AMAG's Feraheme, on the other hand, particularly among Nephrologists, is higher than it has been in the past. Approximately two-thirds of Nephrologists, but less than half of office-based AMs, and only one-quarter of dialysis-based AMs report moderate or high familiarity with the product. For all groups, dosing and administration benefits are most often mentioned when describing their knowledge of the product. Despite limited clinical experience, product appeal is high, but the question remains -- will practitioners switch from established IV iron brands (such as Venofer and Ferrlecit) for an agent that is simply more convenient? PMs in the office setting seem to be less enamored with Feraheme and more concerned with the potential resources needed to administer the product.
In the Bone and Mineral Metabolism market, the new KDIGO Chronic Kidney Disease Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) guideline was released. While familiarity is only moderate, this was the most frequently mentioned "recent news" regarding bone and mineral metabolism by both Nephrologists and RDs. RDs were also likely to mention the approval of Genzyme's Renvela in a powder formulation.
Another change in the bone and mineral metabolism market is the continued increased use of both nutritional and active Vitamin D, reported by Nephrologists and RDs. Sensipar use, on the other hand, has been relatively flat. For both Nephrologists and RDs, the most important PTH modifier attributes are efficacy, improves mortality, and slows the progression of calcification. RDs give Sensipar significantly higher ratings than other PTH modifiers on all three of these leading attributes and Nephrologists give Sensipar higher ratings on two of the three. Both Nephrologists and RDs give Zemplar higher performance scores than Hectorol on almost every attribute.
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SOURCE BioTrends Research Group, Inc.
