Position statement on HIF-PH inhibitors for the management of anemia in CKD
The European Renal Best Practice board of the ERA has published a position statement on hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitors for the treatment of anemia in CKD.
Anemia is a common complication in patients with CKD. Patients with CKD who develop anemia have an increased risk of mortality, hospitalization, major cardiovascular events, and CKD progression. The risk of these adverse outcomes increases with the severity of anemia.
Although there are options to treat anemia, such as the use of iron supplementation, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and blood transfusions, anemia remains undertreated in patients with CKD. Therapies that target hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), key regulators in the physiological response to hypoxia, provide an oral alternative option to ESA’s for the treatment of anemia in CKD.
This position statement reviews the effects and working mechanism of HIF-PH inhibitors, and discusses the role of HIF-PH inhibitors in the management of anemia in patients with CKD according to current evidence.