The European Commission has approved Genzyme’s Renvela (sevelamer carbonate), a drug for the control of serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Renvela is a new version of Renagel (sevelamer hydrochloride), a calcium-free, metal-free, non-absorbed phosphate binder, which has the added benefit of a carbonate buffer.
Professor of medicine and clinical nephrologist Markus Ketteler said that hyperphosphataemia was a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with CKD.
“Renvela is an important addition to the therapeutic options available to nephrologists, and gives them the opportunity to treat hyperphosphataemia earlier,” Ketteler said.
Genzyme has been working with regulatory officials worldwide to secure additional approvals for Renvela, which has also recently been launched in India for CKD patients on dialysis.
