Mircera and Retacrit
ERYTHROPOIESIS-STIMULATING AGENT (ESA) PORTFOLIO
Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma commercializes products for the treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The joint company’s ESA portfolio includes both short-acting and long-acting ESAs to offer customers a full range of treatment options to support patient needs in the dialysis-setting.
Mircera® (methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta) is a long-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) licensed from F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG in 2015 to treat symptomatic anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease. Mircera® is a core part of Vifor Pharma’s renal anaemia strategy and is supplied to over 3,000 dialysis clinics in the US and its territories. Mircera.com (US Healthcare Professionals Only)
Retacrit® is a short-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2018. It is the first biosimilar ESA approved in the US. Vifor Pharma licensed rights from Pfizer Inc., in 2015 to commercialise Retacrit® in the US dialysis and non-hospital market, enabling Vifor Pharma to offer customers a full range of ESA treatment options to support patient needs.
How do Mircera® and Retacrit® work?
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a natural hormone produced by the kidneys, which regulates the production of red blood cells. For patients with kidney disease, kidney dysfunction can lead to a deficit in the production of EPO, resulting in a significant decrease in the production of red blood cells, a condition known as anaemia. In dialysis patients, advanced kidney impairments lead to a lack of natural EPO, which results in severe anaemia. In these cases, treatment with ESAs is recommended because they act in place of natural EPO to stimulate red blood cell production. Short-acting ESAs are typically administered two to three times a week. Long-acting ESAs have been designed to have a much longer lasting effect, allowing for dosing once or twice a month.
