RESUMO
Background: Limited real-world data are available in Europe, especially France, regarding the therapeutic management of anaemia in patients with dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (DD CKD). Methods: This retrospective, longitudinal, observational study was based on medical records from the MEDIAL database of not-for-profit dialysis units in France. From January to December 2016, we included eligible patients (≥18 years), with a diagnosis of CKD and receiving maintenance dialysis. Patients with anaemia were followed up for 2 years after inclusion. Patient demographic data, anaemia status, CKD-related anaemia treatments, and treatment outcomes including laboratory test results were evaluated. Results: Of 1632 DD CKD patients identified from the MEDIAL database, 1286 had anaemia; 98.2% of patients with anaemia were receiving haemodialysis at index date (ID). Of patients with anaemia, 29.9% had haemoglobin (Hb) levels of 10-11 g/dL and 36.2% had levels of 11-12 g/dL at ID. Furthermore, 21.3% had functional iron deficiency and 11.7% had absolute iron deficiency. The most commonly prescribed treatments at ID for patients with DD CKD-related anaemia were intravenous (IV) iron with erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) (65.1%). Among patients initiating ESA treatment at ID or during follow-up, 347 (95.3%) reached the Hb target of 10-13 g/dL and maintained response within the target Hb range for a median duration of 113 days. Conclusions: Despite combined use of ESAs and IV iron, duration within the Hb target range was short, suggesting that anaemia management can be further improved.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Antipsychotics exhibit different profiles of efficacy and safety in patients with schizophrenia. It has recently been reported that the risk of rehospitalization was the lowest with paliperidone palmitate (PP), a long-acting injectable (LAI), when compared with other LAIs (of zuclopenthixol, perphenazine, and olanzapine). We aimed to investigate whether treating patients with PP was also associated with improved real-life treatment persistence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of the LAI antipsychotics (LAIAs) dispensed in French retail pharmacies. Treatment persistence was defined as the non-discontinuation of LAIAs for ≥ 5 months after LAIA initiation (and was also analyzed by Kaplan-Meier persistence curves). RESULTS: A total of 4,492 patients were included in the study. The persistence rate was significantly greater for LAI-PP (64.5%) than for either LAI haloperidol decanoate (HD) or LAI risperidone microspheres (R) (46.4% and 35.4%, respectively). Multivariate Cox analyses illustrated that LAIA initiation with HD or R significantly increased the risk of discontinuation when compared with PP. CONCLUSION: PP demonstrated a significantly higher persistence rate than HD or R. Moreover, LAIA initiation with HD or R significantly increased the risk of treatment discontinuation relative to PP. Further comparative studies are required to comprehensively determine whether PP has a better efficacy and/or safety profile than other LAIs.
