Baxter (NYSE:BAX) today released data from a study of expanded hemodialysis using its Theranova dialyzer, touting that the device was shown to successfully remove mid-sized uremic toxins from the body with minimal albumin loss.
Results from the study were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual Kidney Week Congress, the company said.
The Deerfield, Ill.-based company’s Theranova dialyzer is designed to extend the range of molecules that it filters from the blood, which the company claims “more closely mimics the natural kidney.” The expanded hemodialysis therapy works on standard equipment and does not require the generation of replacement fluid, Baxter said.
Researchers at two study sites compared clearance of mid-weight toxin β2m and albumin levels between the HDx therapy using the Theranova dialyzer and high-flux hemodialysis and between HDx and hemodiafiltration.
At one trial site researchers found that after nine weeks of HDx therapy, pre-dialysis levels of β2m were reduced by 11.7% on average with no difference in serum albumin. At a second site, data indicated that HDx and hemodiafiltration therapy were able to effectively remove β2m with minimal albumin loss as well.
“We found that HDx therapy was convenient and simple to implement at our hospitals. The therapy is promising because it offers effective clearance of middle molecules. This is especially important for patients who are unable to get the prescribed dose of hemodiafiltration,” abstract author Dr. Jyoti Baharani of the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust said in a press release.
A second study, performed in Rostock, Germany, compared HDx and HDF therapy in 32 dialysis patients, and found that both treatments provided similar improvements in albumin binding capacity and similar reductions in uremic toxins.
“Improving standards of care for dialysis patients will require a combination of innovation, experience, technology, scientific exchange and new mindsets. This book is intended to help healthcare professionals better understand how innovation can expand therapy options for patients,” Dr. Claudio Ronco, who edited a clinical publication the therapy, said in a prepared release.
Last month, Baxter said it launched 2 new clinical trials exploring expanded HDx hemodialysis therapy using its Theranova dialyzer.