Efficacy and safety of lanthanum carbonate in German patients on dialysis

Aims: To assess the treatment efficacy and tolerability of lanthanum car - bonate (LC) in patients with end-stage re- nal disease (ESRD) and hyperphosphatemia under daily-practice conditions. Patients and methods: 698 patients on dialysis in 116 outpatient dialysis centers in Germany were enrolled in this post-marketing surveillance study (mean treatment duration 6 months). LC treatment was compared to pretreatment (no or other phosphate binders) regarding laboratory parameters, adverse events and tablet burden. Results: Compared to base- line, LC significantly reduced mean serum phosphate (SP), serum calcium, and cal- cium × phosphate product (p < 0.0001). In monotherapy with LC, mean tablet burden was decreased to 3.0 tablets per day thus reducing the mean pre-study phosphate- binder tablet burden by nearly 50%. Ad- verse drug reactions associated with LC were reported in only 2.0% of the patients (n = 14). Overall, LC was considered safe and well tolerated. Conclusions: Under daily-practice conditions, LC at an average dose of 2,509 ± 936 mg/d was well tolerated and effective in adjusting and maintaining control of SP in patients previously being unsatisfactorily controlled on other phos- phate binders. The daily tablet burden with a phosphate binder can be reduced to 3 tab- lets of LC, particularly in patients on mono- therapy. The lack of a comparison group should be considered in terms of careful interpretation of the study results.