ECONOMIC AND HUMANISTIC OUTCOMES OF DESIDUSTAT VERSUS ERYTHROPOIETIN IN DIALYSIS-DEPENDENT CKD PATIENTS: EVIDENCE FOR VALUE-BASED KIDNEY CARE
Author(s)
GAUTAM SAHU, MS, PhD1, Pramil Tiwari, PhD2, Sanjay D'cruz, MBBS, MD, DM3, Anita Tahlan, MBBS, MD, DM4, pooja arora, PhD5.
1PhD Research Scholar, NIPER MOHALI, SAS NAGAR, PUNJAB, India, 2Pharmacy, NIPER Mohali, SAS NAGAR, PUNJAB, India, 3General Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chnadigarh, Chandigarh, India, 4Department of Pathology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chnadigarh, Chandigarh, India, 5Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, NIPER, Mohali, MOHALI, India.
1PhD Research Scholar, NIPER MOHALI, SAS NAGAR, PUNJAB, India, 2Pharmacy, NIPER Mohali, SAS NAGAR, PUNJAB, India, 3General Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chnadigarh, Chandigarh, India, 4Department of Pathology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chnadigarh, Chandigarh, India, 5Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, NIPER, Mohali, MOHALI, India.
OBJECTIVES: Healthcare systems increasingly require evidence demonstrating both clinical benefit and value. This study evaluated direct medical costs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease patients receiving Desidustat or Erythropoietin for anemia management.
METHODS: A prospective randomized open-label clinical study enrolled adult DD-CKD patients receiving maintenance dialysis. Participants were assigned to Desidustat or Erythropoietin and followed for 12 months. Direct medical costs included medication expenses, laboratory investigations, dialysis-related services, hospitalization, and other treatment-related expenditures. HRQoL was assessed using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF). Comparative analyses were conducted between treatment groups and across follow-up periods.
RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were randomized (Desidustat, n=52; EPO, n=52), of whom 84 (80.8%) completed the 12-month follow-up. The mean age was 53.9±11.8 years, and 67.3% were male. Baseline HRQoL was substantially impaired and comparable between groups, including Symptom/Problem (SP; 40.58±13.20 vs. 40.82±15.62; p=0.933), Effects of Kidney Disease (EKD; 36.95±14.14 vs. 38.88±16.64; p=0.525), Burden of Kidney Disease (BKD; 19.83±16.68 vs. 18.38±15.91; p=0.653), Physical Component Summary (PCS; 52.74±10.48 vs. 53.16±10.61; p=0.836), and Mental Component Summary (MCS; 48.10±7.68 vs. 48.46±9.01; p=0.827). HRQoL improved significantly over 12 months in both groups (p<0.001). In the Desidustat group, SP increased from 40.50±13.70 to 50.96±10.80, EKD from 37.12±14.18 to 46.59±11.55, BKD from 19.76±17.46 to 35.93±18.53, PCS from 53.00±10.31 to 69.87±7.00, and MCS from 47.27±7.26 to 55.71±6.34. Annual medication costs were lower with Desidustat than EPO (₹76,024 vs. ₹84,840 per patient-year), yielding savings of ₹8,816 per patient (11.6%). Improved HRQoL together with lower treatment costs generated favorable economic and humanistic outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Desidustat was associated with significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes while reducing treatment costs compared with EPO therapy. These findings support Desidustat as a cost-efficient, patient-centered strategy for anemia management in DD-CKD patients and align with value-based healthcare objectives in low- and middle-income countries.
METHODS: A prospective randomized open-label clinical study enrolled adult DD-CKD patients receiving maintenance dialysis. Participants were assigned to Desidustat or Erythropoietin and followed for 12 months. Direct medical costs included medication expenses, laboratory investigations, dialysis-related services, hospitalization, and other treatment-related expenditures. HRQoL was assessed using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF). Comparative analyses were conducted between treatment groups and across follow-up periods.
RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were randomized (Desidustat, n=52; EPO, n=52), of whom 84 (80.8%) completed the 12-month follow-up. The mean age was 53.9±11.8 years, and 67.3% were male. Baseline HRQoL was substantially impaired and comparable between groups, including Symptom/Problem (SP; 40.58±13.20 vs. 40.82±15.62; p=0.933), Effects of Kidney Disease (EKD; 36.95±14.14 vs. 38.88±16.64; p=0.525), Burden of Kidney Disease (BKD; 19.83±16.68 vs. 18.38±15.91; p=0.653), Physical Component Summary (PCS; 52.74±10.48 vs. 53.16±10.61; p=0.836), and Mental Component Summary (MCS; 48.10±7.68 vs. 48.46±9.01; p=0.827). HRQoL improved significantly over 12 months in both groups (p<0.001). In the Desidustat group, SP increased from 40.50±13.70 to 50.96±10.80, EKD from 37.12±14.18 to 46.59±11.55, BKD from 19.76±17.46 to 35.93±18.53, PCS from 53.00±10.31 to 69.87±7.00, and MCS from 47.27±7.26 to 55.71±6.34. Annual medication costs were lower with Desidustat than EPO (₹76,024 vs. ₹84,840 per patient-year), yielding savings of ₹8,816 per patient (11.6%). Improved HRQoL together with lower treatment costs generated favorable economic and humanistic outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Desidustat was associated with significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes while reducing treatment costs compared with EPO therapy. These findings support Desidustat as a cost-efficient, patient-centered strategy for anemia management in DD-CKD patients and align with value-based healthcare objectives in low- and middle-income countries.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
CO227
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Patient-Centered Research, Real World Data & Information Systems
Topic Subcategory
Clinician Reported Outcomes, Comparative Effectiveness or Efficacy
Disease
Alternative Medicine, Personalized & Precision Medicine, Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain), Urinary/Kidney Disorders