Switching to Once-Monthly Mircera Could Lead to Major Time Savings and Help Simplify Anaemia Management

Basel, Switzerland, November 20 (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Authors Conclude Such Savings may Allow Healthcare Resources to
be Reallocated to Other Aspects of Patient Management

Switching dialysis patients to once-monthly Mircera(R) from
older, more frequently dosed erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs)
could reduce time spent by nurses administering anaemia drugs in
dialysis clinics by approximately 80%. This is valuable time that
could be used by staff to focus on other important aspects of patient
care. These and other key findings from a study investigating the
practicalities of ESA use have just been published in Blood
Purification(1). (http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?
Aktion=BackIssuesJG&ProduktNr=223997 )

The prospective, observational study quantified personnel time in
12 dialysis clinics in Germany and the UK in 2006. It found the total
potential annual time savings for a dialysis centre switching 100
patients to Mircera could range from 43 to 37 working days per year.

The study also found that patients currently receive 94 ESA
injections per year in Germany and 83 in the UK and by switching to
Mircera, 82 or 71 injections per patient per year could be avoided in
the average dialysis centre in Germany and the UK respectively.

"The rising prevalence of end-stage renal disease is placing
increasing demand on renal healthcare services and this is compounded
by a shortfall in the number of renal healthcare personnel," said
lead author Dr. Ulrich Saueressig, Gemeinschaftspraxis, Wuppertal,
Germany. "Therefore hospitals, clinics and dialysis units are under
increasing pressure to improve efficiency without compromising the
quality of care experienced by patients. We found that the treatment
of anaemia in patients with CKD has a considerable impact on
workload, and switching to Mircera has the potential to save
significant amounts of time." (Link to Dr Saueressig's centre:
http://www.dialysezentrum-wuppertal.de/html/einfuhrung.html)

Key findings

- Time spent on anaemia management: For a centre of 100 patients,
the average time spent per year on frequent observable activities
(including preparation, distribution, injection, and ordering of
ESAs) is substantial: 31 days in Germany and 42 days in the UK. Total
time per centre per year (basis 100 patients) for all ESA-related
activities (observed and non-observed) using the current short-acting
ESAs was estimated to represent up to 79 and 95 days in Germany and
the UK, respectively.

- Anaemia management costs: The estimated total time spent on
ESA-related activities per centre (100 patients) per year would
represent EUR17,031 and GBP18,739 for a German and UK centre,
respectively.

- Anaemia treatment: The average number of ESA administrations
per patient per month was 7.8 and 6.9 in Germany and the UK
respectively.

- Modeling the impact of Mircera: With the adoption of
once-monthly Mircera, it was calculated that nurses' time for
'observed' activities alone could be reduced by approximately 80%,
saving 24-35 working days per year for a centre of 100 patients. When
non-observed activities are considered as well, once-monthly Mircera
offers potential annual time savings of 43 days in an average German
and 37 days in an average UK centre. Translated into monetary units,
the difference in total time between once-monthly Mircera and
traditional ESA use would represent EUR9,798 for Germany and GBP6,615
for the UK, representing a 58% and 35% cost reduction, respectively.

- Authors' conclusions: "Such savings may allow healthcare
resources to be reallocated to other aspects of patient management,
thereby enhancing the overall quality of dialysis care, and
potentially enabling improvements in clinical outcomes."

The study

The study was conducted in 12 dialysis centers across Germany and
the UK (six centers per country). Interviews were conducted with
relevant healthcare staff at each study center to map nurses' time
spent on anaemia management-related tasks and processes. Tasks were
classified as either observable or non-observable. Observed tasks
were defined as ESA-related activities that happen frequently, and
with a clear start and endpoint for which time could be directly
measured. This included preparation, distribution of ESAs, injection,
and drug ordering. Non-observed tasks were less frequently performed
tasks for which ESA-related time was intertwined with other
activities and thus could not be separated, such as physician visits,
blood sampling and review of blood analysis results. Using results
from both observable and non-observable tasks, the potential time and
associated cost offsets that might be achieved with 100% uptake of
once-monthly Mircera were modeled.

About Mircera

Mircera, the first continuous erythropoietin receptor activator
indicated for the treatment of symptomatic anaemia in chronic kidney
disease, is now approved in 68 countries and launched in 49 including
the major EU markets Germany, the UK, Spain and France. It has a
different receptor interaction and longer half-life than other ESAs
which allows for sustained and predictable anaemia management
(2),(3),(4). Mircera's method of administration is simple: it is the
only ESA approved in the EU to correct anaemia with an immediate
once-every-two-week treatment schedule in all CKD patient types
(those on or not on dialysis) with either an IV or SC dose. CKD
patients on dialysis or not, on any ESA, can then be directly
switched to a once-monthly maintenance schedule. This ability to
switch patients directly has the potential to simplify anaemia
management(5).

About Roche:

Information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet at
http://www.roche.com

Editor's Notes

- All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected
by law.

- Additional information about renal anaemia is available on the
Internet at http://www.lifeblood.anaemiaworld.com

- Broadcast quality images are available for media at
http://www.thenewsmarket.com

References

---------------------------------

(1) Saueressig U et al. Healthcare Resource Utilization for
Anemia Management: Current Practice With Erythropoiesis-Stimulating
Agents and the Impact of Converting to Once-Monthly C.E.R.A.. Blood
Purif. 2008;26:537-546.

(2) MIRCERA® Summary of Product Characteristics. F. Hoffmann-La
Roche Ltd, 2007

(3) Sulowicz W, Locatelli F, Ryckelynck J-P, et al. Once-monthly
subcutaneous C.E.R.A. maintains stable hemoglobin control in patients
with chronic kidney disease on dialysis and converted directly from
epoetin one to three times weekly. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2007;2:637-646

(4) Jarsch M, Brandt M, Haselbeck A. Consumption of C.E.R.A. and
epoetin beta in a cellular assay: UT-7 consumption model. Presented
at American Society of Hematology (ASH) 48th Meeting, December 9-12,
2006, Orlando, FL

(5) Macdougall I, et al. C.E.R.A. Corrects Anemia in Patients
with Chronic Kidney Disease not on Dialysis: Results of a Randomized
Clinical Trial. CJASN, 2008; 3 (2) 337-347

For further information please contact:
Sheila Kolesaire at Roche
Tel: +973-235-4347
Mobile: +973-687-0188
Diane Lorton at Galliard
Tel: +44-(0)-207-663-2265
Mobile: +44-(0)-7717-531-823

ots Originaltext: Roche Pharmaceuticals
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information please contact: Sheila Kolesaire at Roche,
Tel: +973-235-4347, Mobile: +973-687-0188; Diane Lorton at Galliard,
Tel: +44-(0)-207-663-2265, Mobile: +44(0-7717-531-823