Long-Acting ESAs for Renal Anemia in China: CERA Tops AssessmentNew Assessment Scores Help Choose Treatments for Renal Anemia

IntroductionRenal anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life. Long-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) offer advantages in dosing convenience and adherence, but a comprehensive multidimensional evaluation comparing these agents within the Chinese healthcare context is lacking.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to conduct a multidimensional quantitative evaluation of long-acting ESAs and provide a reference for drug selection and rational clinical use in medical institutions.MethodsBased on the method recommended in the Rapid Guideline for Drug Evaluation and Selection in Chinese Medical Institutions (Third Edition), three long-acting ESAs were evaluated in five dimensions, namely, efficacy (28 points), safety (27 points), pharmaceutical properties (27 points), economy (10 points), and other attributes (8 points).ResultsThe final assessment scores were 80.39 points for the continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA), 73.04 points for pegmolesatide, and 71.70 points for darbepoetin alfa, in descending order. CERA achieved the highest scores in safety and other attributes, darbepoetin alfa ranked first in economy, and pegmolesatide performed best in pharmaceutical properties.ConclusionAccording to the scoring results, CERA, pegmolesatide, and darbepoetin alfa all exceeded the guideline-defined threshold for strong recommendation (>70 points) and can be included in the list of strongly recommended drugs for medical institutions. This study provides a scientific, reasonable, and safe basis for medical institutions to select long-acting ESAs.