To address the issue of heavy dialysis burden due to the rising prevalence of end-stage renal disease around the world, a roundtable discussion on the sustainability of managing dialysis burden around the world was held in Hong Kong during the First International Congress of Chinese Nephrologists in December 2015. The roundtable discussion was attended by experts from Hong Kong, China, Canada, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and United States. Potential solutions to cope with the heavy burden on dialysis include the prevention and retardation of the progression of CKD; wider use of home-based dialysis therapy, particularly PD; promotion of kidney transplantation; and the use of renal palliative care service.
With the number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients growing, one of the crucial questions facing health care professionals and funding agencies in Asia is whether funding for dialysis will be sufficient to keep up with demand. During the ISPD's 2006 Congress, academic nephrologists and government officials from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in a roundtable discussion on dialysis economics in Asia. The focus was policy and health care financing. The roundtable addressed ESRD growth in Asia and how to obtain enough funding to keep up with the growth in patient numbers. Various models were presented: the "peritoneal dialysis (PD) first" policy model, incentive programs, nongovernmental organizations providing PD, and PD reimbursement in a developing economy. This article summarizes the views of the participant nephrologists on how to increase the utilization of PD to improve on clinical and financial management of patients with ESRD.
TRK-100STP, a sustained-release preparation of the orally active prostacyclin analogue beraprost sodium, targets renal hypoxia. This study aimed to show the superiority of TRK-100STP over placebos in patients with chronic kidney disease (with either primary glomerular disease or nephrosclerosis) to determine the recommended dose. CASSIOPEIR (Chronic Renal Failure Asian Study with Oral PGI2 Derivative for Evaluating Improvement of Renal Function) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at 160 sites in seven Asia-Pacific countries and regions. Eligible patients (n = 892) were randomized to TRK-100STP 120, 240 μg, or placebo for a treatment period of up to 4 years. The primary efficacy endpoint was time to first occurrence of a renal composite: doubling of serum creatinine or occurrence of end-stage renal disease. No significant differences were observed in composite endpoints between TRK-100STP and placebo (P = 0.5674). Hazard ratios (95% CI) in the TRK-100STP 120 and 240 μg vs. placebo groups were 0.98 (0.78, 1.22) and 0.91 (0.72, 1.14), respectively. The overall incidence of adverse events and adverse drug reactions was comparable between treatment arms.