Renal disease News and Research

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Medical conditions put seniors at high risk of unsubsidized medical prescription expenses

If you're older, a woman, and suffering from either dementia or diabetes, you are the most likely to be exposed to unsubsidized medication costs in the US. This is known as the coverage gap for enrollees of Medicare Part D - the US federal program which subsidizes the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.

26 Mar 2010

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals reports net loss of $4.7M for 2009 fourth quarter

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of medically important pharmaceutical products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, including cancer and renal disease (the "Company"), today announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

25 Mar 2010

NKF: Certain ethnic minorities are at higher risk for developing CKD

Certain ethnic minorities, including African Americans and Hispanics, are at a higher risk than the general population for developing potentially life-threatening chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has been linked to higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

16 Mar 2010

ACCORD Lipid trial: New research into atherogenic dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular risk can be reduced by an additional 31 percent in type 2 diabetes patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia, the common combination of elevated triglycerides (TG, 204 mg/dL or 2.3 mmol/L or higher) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, 34 mg/dL or 0.88 mmol/L or lower).

15 Mar 2010

Rex Medical receives FDA Clearance for Cleaner Rotational Thrombectomy System

Rex Medical, L.P., today announced that it has received 510(k) Clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Cleaner™ Rotational Thrombectomy System. Cleaner™ technology is indicated for mechanical declotting of occluded native vessel dialysis fistulae and synthetic dialysis access grafts.

11 Mar 2010

Poor, minority adults with chronic kidney disease face increase risk of developing ESRD

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) afflicts a large number of younger minority adults receiving medical care in settings that serve the uninsured and underinsured (settings collectively known as the healthcare safety net). Poor, minority adults with moderate to severe CKD are also two to four times more likely to progress to kidney failure than non-Hispanic whites.

11 Mar 2010

Positive interim results from NxStage Medical's FREEDOM study in RLS

NxStage Medical, Inc., a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced the latest interim results from its ongoing FREEDOM study, which show the significant improvement of overall sleep quality and marked improvement in Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) experienced by patients after four months of daily home hemodialysis therapy with the NxStage System One™.

8 Mar 2010

Dialysis patients gather to encourage state lawmakers to support Medigap legislation

More than 50 dialysis patients, family members and kidney care advocates from across South Carolina gathered at the state Capitol today with the National Kidney Foundation Serving the Carolinas, South Carolina Region (NKF) and Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) to encourage state lawmakers to support Medigap legislation (S. 1128, sponsored by Senators Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) and Phillip Shoopman (R-Greenville), and H. 4552, sponsored by Representatives Joan Brady (R-Richland), Bill Sandifer (R-Seneca) and Kristopher Crawford (R-Florence)).

5 Mar 2010

South Carolina kidney patients to meet lawmakers and urge passage of S. 1128 legislation

On Wednesday, March 3, kidney patients from across South Carolina will join the National Kidney Foundation Serving the Carolinas, South Carolina Region and Dialysis Patient Citizens in holding a briefing at the State Capitol Rotunda, followed by a series of meetings with lawmakers and staff, urging the passage of key legislation this year that would help approximately 500 South Carolina kidney failure patients and thousands of disabled South Carolinians who are struggling to access health insurance for the life-saving medical care they need.

3 Mar 2010

Greater use of ESAs and iron at lower hematocrit levels decrease risk of death for hemodialysis patients

Greater use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and more frequent use of iron at lower hematocrit levels (the proportion of the blood that consists of red blood cells) was associated with a decreased risk of death for hemodialysis patients, according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Mar 2010

Study identifies risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in kidney disease patients on dialysis

Vitamin D deficiency is almost universal among kidney disease patients who have low blood protein levels and who start dialysis during the winter, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The research identifies a group of patients who are at extremely high risk of being deficient in vitamin D and provides some clues as to why the deficiency occurs in these individuals.

26 Feb 2010

Georgia State Senate praised for passing legislation to help kidney failure patients have access to health insurance

Georgia’s kidney care community today praised the Georgia State Senate for unanimously passing important legislation (S.B. 316) to secure access to needed health insurance for approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure. The bill, which was originally introduced by Senators Don Thomas (R-Dalton) and Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), has received support from across the patient advocacy community and legislators alike.

20 Feb 2010

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

A randomized multicenter study of 190 patients at 13 medical centers shows-- for the first time-- the "superior" benefit of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for maintaining function of dialysis access grafts in kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis. Until now, no other therapy has proven more effective than angioplasty.

12 Feb 2010

DPC lauds passage of S.B. 316 dialysis care legislation

Dialysis Patient Citizens today praised the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee for unanimously passing legislation – S.B. 316 – which will increase patient access to life-saving dialysis care or transplant medications. Dialysis patients attending yesterday’s hearing encouraged lawmakers to support the bill which, if enacted, would greatly help approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure who are having difficulty accessing health insurance. Twenty-nine states across the country have enacted this popular legislation that is widely embraced by patients, family members and taxpayers.

11 Feb 2010

3SBio announces Nephoxil collaboration and license agreement with Panacor Bioscience

3SBio Inc., a leading China-based biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing biopharmaceutical products, today announced a collaboration and license agreement with Panacor Bioscience Ltd. to develop and commercialize its Nephoxil(R) pharmaceutical product for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in China.

8 Feb 2010

Kidney care advocates urge passage of key legislation for Georgia’s kidney patients

On Tuesday, February 9, kidney patients from across the state of Georgia will join Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) – a national, non-profit, patient-led organization representing approximately 1,300 members in Georgia and 22,000 members nationwide – in holding a briefing at the State Capitol, followed by a series of meetings with lawmakers and staff, urging the passage of key legislation this year that would help thousands of Georgia’s kidney failure patients who are struggling to access health insurance for the medical care they need.

6 Feb 2010

Patients with high levels of proteinuria have increased risk of all-cause death

Patients with high levels of proteinuria (protein in urine) in addition to another marker of reduced kidney function had an associated increased risk of all-cause death, heart attack or progression to kidney failure, according to a study in the February 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Feb 2010

Pervasis Therapeutics reaches agreement with FDA on pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for Vascugel

Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the design of a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for Vascugel®, an investigational new drug for the prevention of hemodialysis access graft failure.

2 Feb 2010

Noninvasive optical imaging probes to determine amount and type of cell death in tumors

For quite some time, the "Holy Grail" in medical imaging has been the development of an effective method to image cell death as a means to intervene early in diseases and rapidly determine the effectiveness of treatments. A new paper by researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the Washington University School of Medicine describes important progress in using a synthetic probe to target dead and dying cells in mammary and prostate tumors in living animals.

30 Jan 2010

Diaverum acquires new clinic in Spain

Continuing on a path of international growth, Diaverum, the largest independent provider of renal health care service in Europe, has surpassed the 200 clinic mark with the acquisition of a new center near Barcelona, Spain.

29 Jan 2010