Shire Pharmaceuticals’ end-stage renal disease treatment Fosrenol (lanthanum carbonate) can provide effective long-term control of elevated blood phosphate, according to a newly published study.
The study, published in the journal Nephron Clinical Practice, showed that Fosrenol cut phosphate levels by nearly 70% for up to three years in ESRD patients.
Hyperphosphataemia affects up to 80% of ESRD patients on dialysis, and if left untreated can cause bone pain, skeletal deformities and fractures. It is also linked to the development of heart disease – conditions that are worsened by long-standing therapies containing aluminium or calcium.
The new study provides valuable long-term efficacy and safety data for Fosrenol, one of three new products launched by Shire this year as it strives to reduce its reliance on top-selling attention deficit treatment Adderall XR (mixed amphetamine salts), which is facing patent challenges in the USA, its largest market [[21/10/05e]].
Fosrenol achieved sales of $9.9 million dollars in the second quarter of this year, double its turnover in the first quarter [[29/07/05f]]. The product is currently available in the US and will be launched across Europe over the coming months.
