Emerging drugs for hyperphosphatemia

Expert Opin Emerg Drugs. 2007 Sep;12(3):355-65. doi: 10.1517/14728214.12.3.355.

Abstract

Cardiovascular mortality is the leading cause of death in the uremic patient. Hyperphosphatemia is considered an independent risk factor associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. As phosphate control is not efficient with diet or dialysis, phosphate binders are commonly prescribed in patients with chronic renal failure. Aluminum salts, the first phosphate binders, even if effective, have several side effects due to their deposition in CNS, bone and hematopoietic cells. Calcium-containing phosphate binders, used in the last 15 years, increase total body calcium load and may exacerbate metastatic calcification, thus, increasing the risk of cardiovascular mortality. Recently two new compounds non-aluminum and non-calcium phosphate binders, sevelamer hydrochloride and lanthanum carbonate, have been introduced. Sevelamer, besides the effect on phosphate, has been associated with reduction of coronary and aortic calcification and with other pleiotropic effects especially on lipid metabolism. Lanthanum carbonate has similar phosphate control to calcium-based binders with less incidence of hypercalcemia but long-term clinical studies are needed for testing long-term exposure. Recently the authors found in dialysis patients, that salivary phosphorus correlated with serum phosphorus. Therefore, they supposed that the use of salivary phosphate binders could reduce its absorption and represent a chance for reducing the serum phosphate concentration in uremic patients.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Atherosclerosis / blood
  • Atherosclerosis / etiology
  • Atherosclerosis / prevention & control
  • Calcinosis / blood
  • Calcinosis / etiology
  • Calcinosis / prevention & control
  • Calcium Phosphates / blood
  • Chelating Agents / adverse effects
  • Chelating Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Drugs, Investigational / adverse effects
  • Drugs, Investigational / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / blood
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / complications*
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / drug therapy
  • Lanthanum / therapeutic use*
  • Phosphates / blood*
  • Phosphates / metabolism
  • Phosphorus Metabolism Disorders / blood
  • Phosphorus Metabolism Disorders / complications
  • Phosphorus Metabolism Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Phosphorus Metabolism Disorders / etiology
  • Polyamines / therapeutic use*
  • Renal Dialysis
  • Saliva / metabolism
  • Sevelamer
  • Uremia / blood
  • Uremia / complications*
  • Uremia / drug therapy
  • Uremia / etiology

Substances

  • Calcium Phosphates
  • Chelating Agents
  • Drugs, Investigational
  • Phosphates
  • Polyamines
  • lanthanum carbonate
  • Lanthanum
  • calcium phosphate
  • Sevelamer