Rationale, design, and characteristics of a trial to evaluate the new phosphate iron-based binder sucroferric oxyhydroxide in dialysis patients with the goal of advancing the practice of E.B.M. (EPISODE)

In dialysis patients, mortality risk due to cardiovascular diseases is remarkably high and prognosis is poor; coronary artery calcification is considered one of the major contributing factors. It is known that hyperphosphatemia is associated with coronary artery calcification. Therefore, controlling serum phosphate level and thereby mitigating vascular calcification could improve the poor prognosis of dialysis patients. However, the optimal phosphate level in dialysis patients remains unknown; hence, this study was planned to compare the effects of two types of non-calcium-based phosphate binders, and examine the effect of strict control of phosphate on coronary artery calcification.

EPISODE is a randomized, open-label, multi-center, interventional trial with a two-by-two factorial design (UMIN ID: UMIN000023648). This trial will enroll hemodialysis patients who have been on dialysis for at least 3 months with a pre-dialysis serum phosphate level of at least 5.0 mg/dL or at least 6.1 mg/dL, respectively, in those taking or not taking a phosphate binder, as measured during the observation period. Registered patients will be randomized to the sucroferric oxyhydroxide or lanthanum carbonate arm and will receive the assigned drug to reduce serum phosphate to two target levels (3.5–4.5 mg/dL in strict arm and 5.0–6.0 mg/dL in standard arm) for 12 months. The primary endpoint will be percent change in coronary artery calcification score, and the secondary endpoints will include change from baseline serum phosphate and calcium levels, change in renal anemia-related factors, etc. The desired sample size has been calculated to be 200 patients.