A Study of Pegmolesatide of in Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Patients With Anemia Treated With Hypoxia-inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor (HIF-PHI)

For patients with renal anemia treated with HIF-PHIs, there is a clinical need of switching to long-acting and safe medications. Pegmolesatide, a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated erythropoiesis-stimulating peptide, is a long-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) with sustained activity. It was approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in June 2023. Phase III clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy and safety in dialysis patients with renal anemia who were previously treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). However, there are currently no data regarding the efficacy and safety of switching from HIF-PHIs to pegmolesatide, and there is a lack of standard for the dose conversion. This study is a multi-center, prospective, open-label, randomized parallel-controlled clinical trial, planning to enroll 96 patients. Based on the weekly dose of Roxadustat before randomization, patients are divided into two cohorts: the low-dose Roxadustat cohort (weekly dose ≤210 mg) and the high-dose Roxadustat cohort (weekly dose \>210 mg and ≤360 mg), with 48 patients in each cohort. Each cohort is stratified by hemoglobin (HB) level, with a 1:1 ratio for HB \<10.0 g/dl and HB ≥10.0 g/dl, meaning that there are 24 patients in both cohorts. Within each cohort, patients are randomly assigned to 2 groups at a 1:1 ratio based on the initial treatment dose of pegmolesatide. Specifically, the patients in low-dose Roxadustat cohort are randomized into the Pegmolesatide initial dose 2 mg group or 4 mg group; the patients in high-dose Roxadustat cohort are randomized into the Pegmolesatide initial dose 4 mg group or 6 mg group, with 24 patients in each group entering the trial period. Pegmolesatide is administered subcutaneously once every 4 weeks, and the dosage is adjusted according to the drug's instructions for use. All enrolled patients will receive 12 weeks of treatment and be followed up for 16 weeks.