NEPHROLOGISTS AND CARDIOLOGISTS EAGER FOR NEW AGENTS TO TREAT HYPERKALEMIA

Relypsa’s Patiromer FOS and ZS Pharma’s ZS-9 could revolutionize the way hyperkalemia is managed according to Spherix Global Insights, GmbH

September 30, 2015 – Zug, Switzerland –In a large scale study of 548 cardiologists and nephrologists in the US and EU, the results are clear – current potassium binders have limited effectiveness, poor tolerability and significant risks associated with chronic use. According to the newly released Market Dynamix: Hyperkalemia, the reported incidence of hyperkalemia is high and a frustrated physician base is struggling to manage the condition.

Hyperkalemia can be life-threatening and frequently compromises the treatment of chronic heart failure and CKD by limiting the use of medications such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs and mineralocorticoid antagonists. Up until now, hyperkalemia was primarily managed through either the discontinuation or dose-altering of critical medications and/or by short-term intermittent treatment with sodium polystyrene sulfonate which is poorly tolerated and has questionable effectiveness. Furthermore, US respondents state that hyperkalemia results in frequent and costly hospital visits and is suspected in more than 10% of mortality cases.

Two new potential agents, Patiromer FOS and ZS-9 could make chronic treatment of hyperkalemia an option for many patients. While US physicians are more familiar than their EU counterparts with these pipeline agents, the vast majority of physicians in both markets report a moderate to high unmet need for new hyperkalemia agents. According to another Spherix release, RealTime Dynamix: Hyperkalemia, almost a third of surveyed nephrologists in September selected Patiromer FOS as the most desirable new product in the pipeline. Relypsa will likely receive US approval first and has lined up Sanofi’s well established renal sales team for the commercial roll out, but ZS Pharma is only trailing by about six months. Recent news about a potential “strategic partnership” between ZS Pharma and Actelion underscores the potential that a chronic hyperkalemia market could present.

About Spherix Global Insights

Spherix Global Insights is a newly established business intelligence and market research company with offices in Zug, Switzerland and Cambridge, MA. Our aim is to apply our commercial experience and unique relationships within core specialty markets to translate data into insight, enabling our clients to make smarter business decisions.

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