A Real‐World Experience of Desidustat in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients—A 1‐Year Retrospective Database Analysis From a Single Center

ABSTRACT Background The long‐term efficacy and safety of desidustat in real world are unknown. We conducted a retrospective real‐world experience of desidustat in 100 consecutive patients on hemodialysis. Materials and Methods The first 100 consecutive stable patients on hemodialysis who were prescribed desidustat between May and December 2022, without history of infection, surgery, chronic hepatitis, or HIV infection, 1 month prior to initiation, were eligible for analysis from electronic records. Those who were lost to follow up, underwent transplantation, or discontinued medicine within 6 months were excluded. We looked at mean dose; efficacy at 1, 6, and 12 months; side effects; and adherence of desidustat over a period of 12 months. Results Out of 100, 59 patients completed 1 year of the drug and were analyzed. There was statistically significant increase in hemoglobin from baseline to 1 month (9 ± 1.2 vs. 9.4 ± 1.3 g/dL, p = 0.01) and from baseline to 12 months (9 ± 1.2 vs. 9.9 ± 1.5 g/dL, p = 0.02). The percentage of patients who achieved target hemoglobin of 10–12 g/dL was 17% at baseline, which increased to 19.1% at 1 month, 43% at 6 months, and 38.9% at 12 months. Side effects were noted in 20% of patients, with edema being the most common (6%) and infections in 5% of cases. Nonadherence was observed in 15% patients. Conclusion Desidustat is effective and safe in management of anemia in hemodialysis patients over a period of 1 year. It helps in achieving target hemoglobin in majority of patients within 6 months.