Comparison of Efficacy of Roxadustat and Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Renal Anemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Authors

  • Muhammad Naeem Abbas Author
  • Bilal Javaid Author
  • Ijaz Nabi Kasana Author
  • Salman Mahmood Author
  • Madiha Rauf Author
  • Ch Nauman Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51985/

Keywords:

Roxadustat, erythropoietin, renal anemia, chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis

Abstract

 Objective: To compare the effectiveness of roxadustat and erythropoietin in the treatment of renal anemia in the chronic kidney disease patients under hemodialysis.

 

Study design & settings: This was a non-randomized quasi-experimental comparative study conducted in the Department of Nephrology, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad.

 

Methodology: Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to enroll 490 adults with chronic kidney disease, renal anemia, and maintenance hemodialysis. Treatment assignment was non-randomized; no random sequence generation or allocation concealment was used. Participants received either oral roxadustat (Group A) or subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin (Group B) according to the treating unit’s prescribed anemia-management regimen. Hemoglobin was assessed at baseline and during follow-up, with the prespecified primary efficacy endpoint defined as achievement of hemoglobin 10–12 g/dL at 12 weeks.

 

Results: There were 245 participants in each treatment group. Mean hemoglobin increased from 8.7±0.8 g/dL at baseline to 11.1±0.9 g/dL at 12 weeks in the roxadustat group and from 8.6±0.7 g/dL to 10.7±1.0 g/dL in the erythropoietin group. The primary efficacy endpoint was achieved by 149/245 (60.8%) participants receiving roxadustat and 121/245 (49.4%) receiving erythropoietin (p=0.011). The absolute risk difference was 11.4% (95% CI 2.7%–20.2%), the relative risk was 1.23 (95% CI 1.05–1.45), and the odds ratio was 1.59 (95% CI 1.11–2.28).

 

Conclusion: In this non-randomized quasi-experimental study, achievement of the target hemoglobin range at 12 weeks was more frequent in the roxadustat group than in the erythropoietin group 

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Published

2026-10-02

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How to Cite

Comparison of Efficacy of Roxadustat and Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Renal Anemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. (2026). Journal of Bahria University Medical and Dental College, 16(04), 965-972. https://doi.org/10.51985/

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