AstraZeneca gets Lokelma approval
May 21, 2018The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lokelma (sodium zirconium cyclosilicate), formerly ZS-9, for the treatment of adults with hyperkalaemia, a serious condition characterised by elevated potassium levels in the blood associated with cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases.
Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: “We are pleased by today’s FDA approval of Lokelma as it enables us to help address a long-standing clinical need with a new medicine that offers rapid and sustained treatment for adults with hyperkalaemia. The consequences of hyperkalaemia can be very serious and it’s reassuring for treating physicians that Lokelma has demonstrated lowering of potassium levels in patients with chronic kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes and those taking RAAS inhibitors.”
The FDA approval of Lokelma is supported by data from three double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and two open-label trials, which showed that for patients receiving Lokelma the onset of action was at 1.0 hour and the median time to achieving normal potassium levels in the blood was 2.2 hours, with 92% of patients achieving normal potassium levels within 48 hours from baseline.
