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Kidney drug added to PBS

A drug aimed at lowering the incidence of heart disease amongst people on kidney dialysis has been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The drug Renagel is designed to reduce the risk of heart problems in people with chronic kidney disease.

Patients with the disease take drugs to keep phosphorous levels in their bodies down to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Most of those drugs contain high levels of calcium, which can harden arteries and cause heart attacks or stroke.

Dr Mark Thomas from Royal Perth Hospital says Renagel is free of calcium.

“We hope that with this new class of drugs there’ll be less of these high calcium episodes, better control of phosphate as a result and therefore lower incidence of heart disease,” he said.

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