Long-Term Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of PA21 (Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide) in Japanese Hemodialysis Patients With Hyperphosphatemia: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase III Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article was to assess the safety and efficacy of long-term administration of PA21.

DESIGN AND METHODS: Phase III, open-label, long-term study in 15 sites in Japan.

SUBJECTS: Japanese hemodialysis patients (N = 161) with hyperphosphatemia aged ≥20 years undergoing stable maintenance hemodialysis 3 times weekly, for ≥12 weeks.

INTERVENTION: After a 2-week observation period with their previous hyperphosphatemia therapy, patients began the 52-week treatment with PA21, which was administered orally at an initial dose of 250 mg, 3 times daily, immediately before every meal (dosing range between 750 and 3,000 mg/day).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Safety was evaluated based on the development of adverse events and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Efficacy was evaluated according to serum phosphorus concentration, corrected serum calcium concentration, and serum intact-parathyroid hormone concentration.

RESULTS: The mean serum phosphorus concentration decreased from 5.46 ± 1.06 mg/dL at baseline to 5.00 ± 1.17 mg/dL at end of treatment. The serum phosphorus concentration was maintained within the target range (3.5-6.0 mg/dL) throughout the 52 weeks of the study period with a mean of 3.3 tablets per day of PA21. Most ADRs were mild, transient, and developed early during treatment, and the incidence was not shown to increase with long-term treatment. The most frequently reported ADR was diarrhea (22.4%).

CONCLUSION: Treatment with PA21 was effective in lowering and maintaining target serum phosphorus concentrations in Japanese hemodialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia over 52 weeks. PA21 was generally well tolerated in the long term.