AstraZeneca calls off two late-stage potassium drug trials
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[December 01, 2023]
By Eva Mathews
(Reuters) -AstraZeneca is calling off two late-stage trials into the
potential benefits of its potassium-reduction drug Lokelma in treating a
chronic condition called hyperkalemia in people with various heart and
kidney diseases.
"The decision to discontinue the trials is not due to safety concerns
and the positive benefit-risk of Lokelma does not change in the approved
indication," AstraZeneca said in a statement on Friday.
Hyperkalemia (HK) is characterised by high levels of potassium in the
blood and poses a significant risk of cardiac arrest.
AstraZeneca's Lokelma, which provides rapid potassium reduction and
sustained control of the mineral, has been approved for the treatment of
a broader HK patient population in 56 countries worldwide, including the
U.S., the EU and China.
The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said it scrapped the two trials, which were
known as STABILIZE-CKD and DIALIZE-Outcomes Phase III evidence, due to
substantially increased enrolment timelines and low event rates,
respectively.
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![](../images/120123PIX/health25.jpg)
The AstraZeneca logo is pictured outside the AstraZeneca office
building in Brussels as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
vaccination campaign, Belgium, January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna
Geron/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/02/images/ads/current/guzzardo_lda022609.png) In the first nine months of 2023,
Lokelma brought in sales of $300 million for the FTSE 100 firm,
according to its latest earnings report.
AstraZeneca bought the drug's original developer ZS Pharma for $2.7
billion in 2015, one of several bolt-on acquisitions designed to
help build up its pipeline of new drugs.
Shares in AstraZeneca were up 0.5% at 1100 GMT, compared with a 0.6%
rise in London's blue-chip index.
(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich,
Mrigank Dhaniwala and Alexander Smith)
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