Cinacalcet HCI (Sensipar/Mimpara) is an effective chronic therapy for hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVE

This 1-year double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of cinacalcet for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving hemodialysis.

METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to cinacalcet or control treatment groups. The initial dose of cinacalcet (or matching placebo) was 30 mg. Doses were titrated every 3 or 4 weeks based on the intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) response and safety profile. Sequential doses included 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 mg/d. Phosphate binders and vitamin D sterols were adjusted per protocol as needed to control levels of calcium and phosphorus. Efficacy and safety were compared between treatment groups among patients who completed the study (52 total weeks of treatment). Reasons for withdrawal are presented for patients who did not complete the study.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients completed 52 weeks of double-blinded treatment with cinacalcet (n = 99) or placebo (n = 111). Over the last 6 months of the study, a greater proportion of patients in the cinacalcet group than the control group achieved an iPTH level < or = 250 pg/ml (61.6 vs. 9.9%, p < 0.001) or a > or = 30% decrease in iPTH from baseline (81.8 vs. 21.6%, p < 0.001). Mean iPTH levels decreased by -47.8% in the cinacalcet group and increased by +12.9% in the control group. Mean percentage changes in other laboratory values in the cinacalcet and control groups included the following: serum calcium -6.5 vs. +0.9% (p < 0.001), serum phosphorus -3.6 vs. -1.1% (p = 0.465), and Ca x P -9.9 vs. -0.3% (p = 0.006). The most commonly reported adverse events related to study drug by the investigators included nausea (13% cinacalcet, 5% control), investigator-reported hypocalcemia (11% cinacalcet, 1% control), vomiting (9% cinacalcet, 2% control), dyspepsia (5% cinacalcet, 4% control), and diarrhea (5% cinacalcet, 2% control).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with cinacalcet is a safe and effective therapy for long-term control of secondary hyperparathyroidism. 1-year therapy with cinacalcet was associated with sustained, clinically significant reductions in calcium, Ca x P and iPTH which allowed a greater percentage of patients to achieve NKF-KDOQI target goals for PTH and Ca x P.