• 09 Nov 2019
• Admin
• News Article

AstraZeneca's phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials show roxadustat significantly increases haemoglobin levels for CKD patients with anaemia

AstraZeneca presented detailed results from the phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials showing that roxadustat significantly increased haemoglobin (Hb) levels in non-dialysis-dependent (NDD) and dialysis-dependent (DD) patients with anaemia from chronic kidney disease (CKD), respectively. The OLYMPUS trial compared roxadustat to placebo while the ROCKIES trial compared roxadustat to epoetin alfa. The results were presented today during two oral sessions at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2019 in Washington, D.C., US. Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said: “Anaemia is a common, serious condition among patients with chronic kidney disease. It occurs when the body has fewer healthy red blood cells than normal and low levels of haemoglobin, which may leave patients fatigued and short of breath. Results from OLYMPUS and ROCKIES reinforce the potential role that roxadustat could play in increasing haemoglobin levels and managing anaemia, which is often underdiagnosed and undertreated.” Steven Fishbane, MD, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Great Neck, New York, US and primary investigator on the OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials, said: “These data demonstrated that roxadustat effectively increased haemoglobin levels for patients with anaemia from chronic kidney disease, including those who show signs of inflammation. Patients who experience chronic inflammation are often more difficult to treat than the overall chronic kidney disease patient population, emphasising the need for new treatment options.”