Safety of daprodustat in patients with anemia of chronic kidney disease: A pooled analysis of phase 3 studies in Japan

INTRODUCTION: Daprodustat is an approved treatment for anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Japan. METHODS: This post hoc analysis evaluated pooled safety data for daprodustat from 3 phase 3 Japanese studies in dialysis‐dependent and nondialysis patients with anemia of CKD. RESULTS: Median drug exposure duration was 365 days for both daprodustat (N = 369) and injectable erythropoiesis‐stimulating agent (ESA, N = 285). The incidence per 100 patient‐years of on‐therapy adverse events (AEs) was 363.1 and 306.4 in the daprodustat and ESA groups, respectively. The incidence per 100 patient‐years of thromboembolic and retinal events were 5.55 and 6.91 (daprodustat) and 6.28 and 7.46 (ESA), respectively. Cardiovascular and malignancy events were similar between groups, although analysis of these were limited by sample size and study duration. CONCLUSION: The safety of daprodustat was comparable to ESA in this pooled analysis, although further large‐scale research is needed to evaluate long‐term risks including cardiovascular and malignancy events.