Baxter Korea said Thursday that it hosted the “Expanded hemodialysis (HDx) Eco Symposium” in Seoul and Busan on Nov. 28 to share the clinical effectiveness and environmental value of HDx used with Theranova.

The company explained that HDx therapy with Theranova is an environmentally friendly hemodialysis method that reduces water usage by over 20 percent and power usage by over 30 percent, compared to conventional hemodiafiltration (HDF).

The symposium presented key clinical study results of HDx.

“It is clear that the survival rate of dialysis patients has been lower than that of some cancers for a long time, so there is a need to improve dialysis technology,” said Professor Patricia de Sequera Ortiz at Infanta Leonor University Hospital, Madrid. “In the context of increasing environmental concerns, hemodialysis has a very high water and energy consumption, so there is also a need to improve sustainability.”

“HDx with Terranova has been shown in several studies to be superior to high-flux HD (HF-HD) in removing heavy molecules, improving dialysis complications, and reducing hospitalizations and mortality,” she said. “Preliminary studies have shown that HDx has a non-inferior risk of mortality compared to HDF and consumes less water and power than HDF, positioning it as an environmentally friendly dialysis option.”

The effectiveness of HDx has also been demonstrated in a study of patients newly initiated on dialysis in Korea. The abstract of the THREAD study, which compared the residual renal function preservation effects of Theranova and high-flux (HF) dialyzer membranes in 80 newly diagnosed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in Korea, was recently presented at APCN&KSN 2024 and Kidney Week 2024.

“The study showed that the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreased significantly less in the Theranova arm compared to the HF arm after 12 months of hemodialysis,” said Professor Cho Jang-hee of the Department of Nephrology at Kyungpook National University Hospital.

“The removal of polymeric uremic substances is associated with reduced kidney damage in the early stages of dialysis. The Theranova group was more favorable regarding reductions in these molecular uremic and inflammatory markers, confirming the clinical benefit of Theranova in preserving residual renal function and removing molecular uremic toxins in Korea’s hemodialysis population,” Professor Cho added.

Also, HDx's role in reducing cardiovascular events was highlighted.

“Theranova's MCO (Medium Cut-Off) membrane has uniformly sized membrane pores that facilitate the removal of large molecular uremic toxins, enabling HDx closer to normal kidneys than other hemodialysis methods by effectively removing large molecular uremic toxins while minimizing albumin loss,” said Professor Song Sang-heon of the Department of Nephrology at Pusan National University Hospital.

“The removal of large molecular uremic toxins is crucial for reducing heart disease risk, a major complication in hemodialysis patients. HDx with Theranova is effective in a cohort study comparing HF-HD, with a 34 percent reduction in cardiovascular events compared to HF-HD,” Professor Song explained.

Baxter Korea CEO Lim Kwang-hyuk said, “HDx’s extended hemodialysis with Theranova is gaining increasing clinical value through ongoing research. To sustain patients' lives and improve their quality of life, we are pleased to share these achievements at this symposium. We will continue to seek more effective and sustainable solutions for hemodialysis patients.”

Baxter Korea is spinning off its kidney and acute care unit into Vantive, a new kidney care company of global investor Carlyle Group. Vantive will focus on life-sustaining long-term care.