Answering an unmet need Secondary hyperparathyroidism—it's a long name for a disorder most people have never heard of. But for many living with kidney disease, it's unfortunately an all-too-familiar term. "Secondary" means it's caused by chronic kidney disease—indeed, it eventually occurs in nearly all people with that condition. And "hyperparathyroidism" means that four small glands behind the thyroid secrete too much parathyroid hormone, with eventual detrimental effects on the heart, bones and blood vessels. If left untreated, it can increase a patient's risk of hospitalization and death.

Sensipar®, approved in 2004 in the United States and Canada—and in Europe under the brand name Mimpara®—has the potential to help the hundreds of thousands of dialysis patients who require treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism each year. It's the only therapy with the ability to lower levels of parathyroid hormone, calcium and phosphorus all at the same time, which gives patients a greater likelihood of achieving the targets listed in the latest clinical practice guidelines.¹

"Sensipar® is completely different from anything we had before," says Geoffrey Block, M.D., director of Clinical Research at Denver Nephrologists, PC and the lead author of a 2004 New England Journal of Medicine article that published pivotal Sensipar® data. "There is a very large unmet need to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in kidney disease patients—if it is not treated, it can have devastating consequences. Sensipar® offers us a very unique chance to fight this disease."

It may not become a household word, but to people struggling to cope with one of the most pernicious complications of kidney disease, Sensipar® means "breakthrough."

¹ NKF-K/DOQI Guidelines