Taking the Kidneys to Heart: Managing CKD-Related Anemia With Emerging HIF-PHIs

Target Audience
This educational program is designed for hospitalists, general internists, subspecialists, and family practitioners caring for hospitalized patients.

Program Overview
Anemia is a common disease sequela of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that worsens and complicates the bidirectional disease continuum between the kidneys and heart. Anemia in CKD can be treated, which can extend the lives of CKD patients as well as reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life, yet it is persistently undermanaged because current treatments are in and of themselves linked with increased risk for major cardiovascular events. They are also injectable or intravenous and definitely invasive, which no doubt limits patient acceptance.

Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) are a novel class of small-molecule oral drugs in late-phase development and under review by the FDA that are poised to potentially change the treatment paradigm for patients with CKD-related anemia. Join our esteemed faculty for a review of current and emerging treatments, as if or when new therapies are approved, physicians and other clinicians who manage patients with anemia in CKD will need to be familiar with these novel agents and the clinical trial data that support their use in appropriately selected patients.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Clarify the disease burden imposed by untreated or undertreated anemia in patients with CKD, including in racially diverse patients
Correlate the pathophysiology of anemia in CKD with viable therapeutic targets
Identify appropriate candidates for emerging CKD-related anemia treatments among patients on or not on dialysis based on efficacy and safety data from recent clinical trials