Kidney Dialysis News

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Billboard Advert - I Need a Kidney

When you need a transplant, things can get a bit desperate after a long wait with no sign of success. so one couple decided to take a bold step and advertise for a donor.

Sharon Nelson, 73, had been on the waiting list for quite some time when she and her husband James decided to rent a billboard on the Interstate 70. After that James went out, climbed up a ladder and painted the problem in rather large letters.

A nurse at their clinic said she knew a Milwaukee man who had found a donor for himself after renting a billboard. So they decided to give it a try.

Hopefully they will find someone. Until the right donor comes through it's just a matter of waiting, so she and husband can move on with their lives, Nelson said.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, over 96,000 people in the United States are waiting for a kidney transplant.

Original article can be seen here.

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

FDA Approves Velphoro for Kidney Disease Patients

Velphoro® (sucroferric oxyhydroxide) has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the control of serum phosphorus levels in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) on dialysis. Velphoro® will be launched in the US by Fresenius Medical Care North America in 2014.

Velphoro® (previously known as PA21) is an iron-based, calcium-free, chewable phosphate binder. US approval was based on a pivotal Phase III study, which met its primary and secondary endpoints. The study demonstrated that Velphoro®successfully controls hyperphosphatemia with fewer pills than sevelamer carbonate, the current standard of care in patients with CKD on dialysis. The average daily dose to control hyperphosphatemia was 3.3 pills per day after 52 weeks.

Hyperphosphatemia, an abnormal elevation of phosphorus levels in the blood, is a common and serious condition in CKD patients on dialysis. Most dialysis patients are treated with phosphate binders.

Read Vifor Pharma's press release

Viforo Pharma are part of of the Galenica Group, which in turn is part of Fresenius.

Friday, 15 November 2013

Scottish Kidney Project Receives Major Grant!

A EUROPEAN-wide project, being co-ordinated by experts at Dundee University, has received a grant of £2.2 million to investigate new ways of improving kidney dialysis treatment. The European Union’s Marie Curie Partnership and Pathways programme has award £2.2 million to further the project's work. (That's about $3.5 million for our American readers.) A vast number of patients receive hemodialysis three times a week, in sessions lasting three to four hours. The dialysis equipment is connected to their blood supply through an access point grafted in to their body. A Dundee University spokesman explained: “The problem is that these vascular access sites fail in at least half of patients within the first year, leading to increased infections, hospital stays and operations. The ReDVA consortium will examine the problems that occur during long-term haemodialysis and look to improve the performance of vascular access that underpins the life-supporting dialysis techniques. “The academic members of the consortium will work with work with biotechnology experts at the University of Limerick in Ireland, Guerbet, a global imaging contrast company in France and Dundee-based Vascular Flow Technologies to investigate venous access and develop new clinical technologies, methodologies and devices to improve their performance.” He added: “The four-year project will see staff seconded between the universities and the industry partners as well as creating five new research posts.” “New techniques in imaging the vessel with ultrasound and MRI before it blocks, combined with improved surgical technique and vascular devices offers a real prospect of improving the lives of kidney failure patients. The research group offers an unparalleled range of expertise in surgery, imaging, and engineering to tackle this problem.” The grant is to the ReDVA Project. The ReDVA (Development of hemodynamic solutions in Renal Dialysis Venous Access) project is a team of scientists from the Dundee University Medical School, Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and developers from industry. There are a few more details in the story published in

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Overnight Dialysis Boosts Heart and Kidney Health

Regular dialysis can really wear you out! Three days a week in a clinic for hours on end certainly takes its toll. Overnight dialysis is less tiring, taking place while you sleep, but recent research suggests it gives you more than just a rest! Have a read of the research paper in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology

Nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHD) could soon become a popular way to be treated. And it can be quite straightforward as well. After examining 17 patients responses to NHD, the spokesman for the group of medical scientists from Toronto, cardiologist Dr. Christopher Overgaard, said that "Longer dialysis, done while patients are sleeping, may improve the health of arteries and could lower the risk of developing heart disease."

While they are sleep, the patients are clearing their systems of more waste, and in a less disruptive manner, than they would be by going to their normal clinic several times a week.

And the heart benefit? The scientists found that coronary endothelial responsiveness — or how well the layer of cells along the inner lining of blood vessels functions — was partially improved with overnight dialysis. This finding is crucial for patients with impaired endothelial function, which is linked to accelerated atherosclerosis — or the hardening of arteries leading to the heart—in kidney disease patients.

Just imagine - a simple change in how the treatment is given and the patient's health improves. And it is less stressful than the standard hemodialysis treatment too!

Friday, 13 September 2013

Baxter closes deal for Gambro

Baxter, the dialysis American specialist, has completed a deal with Gambro, a deal that started quite some time ago, one they have been after for even longer.

Baxter International Inc. said on 6th September that it has completed its $3.9 billion acquisition of Gambro AB, a private Swedish medical technology company founded in 1964.

This is the biggest acquisition for Baxter, making it an even bigger player in the large and expanding kidney dialysis market.

Baxter has tried for some time to arrange a tie-up with Gambro, the world's third-largest dialysis equipment maker, to help it broaden its kidney business. Baxter's dialysis business is focused on peritoneal dialysis, a treatment that can be performed at a patient's home, while Gambro makes equipment for dialysis performed in a hospital or health clinic (Baxter dropped out of this market in 2005). This means Baxter are now active in all the major forms of dialysis treatment. They can expand their current product range in to Europe, Gambro's territory, and Gambro can expand their equipment into Latin America and Asia.

The acquisition started with an offer accepted on 4th December 2012, and regulators in different areas have gradually given their approval. Gambro was a privately held company. Combined manufacturing and marketing should cut costs dramatically for the new joint business. The acquisition deal is valued at $3.9 billion, so it will be a while before the costs are recovered.