NEW DIALYSIS DRUG

Individuals undergoing hemodialysis as a result of kidney failure, end stage renal disease, often require a variety of supplements and medications to help counteract the stresses imposed on the body by that procedure. Many dialysis patients (and a high percentage of these are diabetic) have been prescribed calcitrol, an oral D-hormone.

Calcitrol works, but has potential side effects. It can cause excessive blood levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), producing a condition known as Secondary Hyperparathyroidism, or SHPT. This condition has long been associated with increased risk of bone fractures, cardiovascular morbidity, and death. There has been a search for a safer medication.

Bone Care International announced on June 10, 1999, that its investigational drug Hectorol (doxercalciferol) had been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the management of SHPT in patients undergoing renal dialysis. The company reports that in a double-blind placebo-controlled study (the drug's action compared to that of an inert substance, without patient or doctor knowing which) Hectorol dropped blood PTH levels 70%, and the placebo did not drop them at all.

If you are undergoing hemodialysis, Hectorol may be of benefit. To learn more about this new prescription medication, have your doctor contact: Bone Care International, One Science Court, Madison, WI 53711; telephone: (608) 236-2500.