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

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.