• Robert Provenzano, Anatole Besarab, Steven Wright, Sohan Dua, Steven Zeig, Peter Nguyen, Lona Poole, Khalil G Saikali, Gopal Saha, Stefan Hemmerich, Lynda Szczech, K H Peony Yu, and Thomas B Neff.
• St. John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit, MI.
• Am. J. Kidney Dis. 2016 Jun 1; 67 (6): 912-24.

BackgroundRoxadustat (FG-4592) is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitor that promotes erythropoiesis through increasing endogenous erythropoietin, improving iron regulation, and reducing hepcidin.Study DesignPhase 2, randomized (3:1), open-label, active-comparator, safety and efficacy study.Setting & ParticipantsPatients with stable end-stage renal disease treated with hemodialysis who previously had hemoglobin (Hb) levels maintained with epoetin alfa.InterventionPart 1: 6-week dose-ranging study in 54 individuals of thrice-weekly oral roxadustat doses versus continuation of intravenous epoetin alfa. Part 2: 19-week treatment in 90 individuals in 6 cohorts with various starting doses and adjustment rules (1.0-2.0mg/kg or tiered weight based) in individuals with a range of epoetin alfa responsiveness. Intravenous iron was prohibited.OutcomesPrimary end point was Hb level response, defined as end-of-treatment Hb level change (ΔHb) of -0.5g/dL or greater from baseline (part 1) and as mean Hb level ≥ 11.0g/dL during the last 4 treatment weeks (part 2).MeasurementsHepcidin, iron parameters, cholesterol, and plasma erythropoietin (the latter in a subset).ResultsBaseline epoetin alfa doses were 138.3±51.3 (SD) and 136.3±47.7U/kg/wk in part 1 and 152.8±80.6 and 173.4±83.7U/kg/wk in part 2, in individuals randomly assigned to roxadustat and epoetin alfa, respectively. Hb level responder rates in part 1 were 79% in pooled roxadustat 1.5 to 2.0mg/kg compared to 33% in the epoetin alfa control arm (P=0.03). Hepcidin level reduction was greater at roxadustat 2.0mg/kg versus epoetin alfa (P<0.05). In part 2, the average roxadustat dose requirement for Hb level maintenance was ∼1.7mg/kg. The least-squares-mean ΔHb in roxadustat-treated individuals was comparable to that in epoetin alfa-treated individuals (about -0.5g/dL) and the least-squares-mean difference in ΔHb between both treatment arms was -0.03 (95% CI, -0.39 to 0.33) g/dL (mixed effect model-repeated measure). Roxadustat significantly reduced mean total cholesterol levels, not observed with epoetin alfa. No safety concerns were raised.LimitationsShort treatment duration and small sample size.ConclusionsIn this phase 2 study of anemia therapy in patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis therapy, roxadustat was well tolerated and effectively maintained Hb levels.Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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