According to Abbott UK, the company is launching Zemplar’s (paricalcitol) oral formulation for patients of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). It is a prevalent complication of chronic kidney disease, which involves a decrease in vitamin D activation. The Zemplar oral formulation now offers patients the convenience of a capsule, as compared to the earlier option of paricalcitol injections.

Men, particularly blacks, with diabetes are more at risk for lower urinary tract symptoms and nocturia, say researchers led by Dr. Aruna V. Sarma, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The association between diabetes and prostate volume was not found to be significant, which suggests that diabetes might be more related to lower urinary tract function.

SunTech Medical launches their Advantage™ HDM (Hemodialysis Monitoring) OEM Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (OEM NIBP) technology designed specifically for monitoring blood pressure during hemodialysis. SunTech is currently the only provider of this application-specific technology, which recently achieved an “A” rating for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurement, according to the British Hypertension Society (BHS) protocol.

Antigenics has received Russian regulatory approval for its Oncophage vaccine for kidney cancer patients at intermediate risk for disease recurrence. Oncophage, the first personalized cancer vaccine to be available in any major market, is expected to be launched in Russia in the second half of the year. The company also plans to file for conditional approval of marketing the vaccine in Europe.

Date from more than four Phase III clinical trials of AMAG Pharmaceuticals’ IV iron replacement therapy ferumoxytol have demonstrated positive efficacy and safety results. Aggregate data for three studies showed a significantly greater mean hemoglobin increase from the base line to the 35th day in patients who received ferumoxytol, as compared to those who received oral iron.