The world’s largest dialysis company is seeking out kidney disease patients long before they need the most acute form of care as it plans for growth of new drugs that attack the condition’s causes early on.
For decades, Germany’s Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) (FMEG.DE) has been the biggest player in the $50 billion U.S. market providing dialysis and related machines that help filter out blood toxins for people whose kidneys have failed to function.
6 minute readOctober 5, 20223:52 PM GMT+5:30Last Updated an hour ago
Fresenius taps pre-dialysis kidney care as drugs promise treatment change
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Diabetes drug Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is displayed at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. May 28, 2020. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo
- Summary
- Companies
- New diabetes drugs also shown to slow kidney decline
- Dialysis company FMC sees impact on its grow outlook
- Fresenius Medical in push into earlier stages of kidney disease
- Separate <a href=”/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/new-treatments-hold-promise-slowing-kidney-damage-2022-10-05/”>Reuters factbox gives details of new drugs</a>
FRANKFURT, Oct 5 (Reuters) – The world’s largest dialysis company is seeking out kidney disease patients long before they need the most acute form of care as it plans for growth of new drugs that attack the condition’s causes early on.
For decades, Germany’s Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) (FMEG.DE) has been the biggest player in the $50 billion U.S. market providing dialysis and related machines that help filter out blood toxins for people whose kidneys have failed to function.
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The company’s 17.6 billion euros ($17.6 billion) in annual revenue has been sustained for decades by high rates of obesity and diabetes, which contribute to kidney damage.
But the dialysis market is changing as new medications have been shown to dramatically improve the conditions that lead to kidney failure.
FMC anticipates that the introduction of these drugs could be a drag on its patient population growth for at least some years. To diversify its revenue base it is pushing to expand beyond its core dialysis business into the care of earlier stage kidney disease.
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The new drugs include AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) Farxiga diabetes pill that also delivers benefits for non-diabetics as an approved treatment to slow chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) Jardiance diabetes drug is expected to be used for the same purpose, while Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) Wegovy injection offers a new treatment option for obesity. Other similar new treatments such as Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) Mounjaro are also expected to offer new weight loss options.
