NICE recommends Astellas' Evrenzo for symptomatic anemia associated with CKD

The UK subsidiary of Japan’s Astellas Pharma (TYO 4503) says that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Evrenzo (roxadustat), as an option for treating symptomatic anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults with stage 3 to 5 CKD with no iron deficiency and are not on dialysis at the start of treatment.

The recommendation from the health technology assessor, in line with the marketing authorization for roxadustat, means roxadustat will be available as an alternative to erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) for patients who are not on dialysis at the time of starting treatment (with no requirement to stop should they start dialysis).

Anemia is a common complication of CKD. While many will experience mild symptoms, it can be severely debilitating and can have a profound impact on quality of life. If untreated, people with severe anemia associated CKD have increased cardiovascular (CV) risk and higher levels of mortality than people with CKD alone. The current treatment of symptomatic anemia associated with CKD for many has involved injections of recombinant erythropoetin (the hormone that stimulates production of red blood cells) and infusions of supplementary iron.