Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38253036›Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of nephrology2024

Difelikefalin in Black/African American Hemodialysis Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Pruritus: Post hoc Analysis of KALM-1 and KALM-2.

Steven Fishbane, Deborah J Clegg, Edgar V Lerma, Anjay Rastogi, Jeffrey Budden, Isabelle Morin, Warren Wen, Frédérique Menzaghi, Joel Topf

Open access · greenAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIIRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of nephrology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Steven FishbaneDepartment of Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Great Neck, New York, USA.
Deborah J CleggOffice of Research, Texas Tech Medical Center, Paul L Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA.
Edgar V LermaSection of Nephrology, University of Illinois at Chicago/Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA.
Anjay RastogiDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jeffrey BuddenCSL Vifor, Redwood City, California, USA.
Isabelle MorinCSL Vifor, Zurich, Switzerland.
Warren WenCara Therapeutics, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Frédérique MenzaghiCara Therapeutics, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Joel TopfDepartment of Internal Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, Michigan, USA.
Cara Therapeutics (United States) · USHofstra University · USOakland University · USUniversity of California, Los Angeles · USUniversity of Illinois Chicago · USVifor Pharma (Switzerland) · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBlack and African American (AA) people are over-represented in the kidney failure population; therefore, the safety and efficacy of difelikefalin in Black/AA patients was evaluated.

methodsThis was a post hoc, pooled exploratory subgroup analysis of the Phase 3 KALM-1 and -2 studies. Patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) who had moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) at enrollment were stratified into self-reported Black/AA or White subgroups. Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive intravenous (IV) difelikefalin 0.5 µg/kg or placebo for 12 weeks. Difelikefalin efficacy was assessed with validated patient-reported outcome questionnaires: 24-h Worst Itch Numerical Rating Scale (WI-NRS), 5-D itch, and Skindex‑10.

resultsThere were 249 (29.3%) patients from the KALM studies that self-identified as Black/AA (n = 135 difelikefalin; n = 114 placebo). Clinically meaningful (≥3-point) reduction in WI-NRS score was achieved by 47.9% of Black/AA patients with difelikefalin versus 24.6% with placebo (p < 0.001). More Black/AA patients achieved a ≥5-point 5-D itch total improvement (54.9% vs. 35.7%; p = 0.013) and a ≥15-point Skindex-10 score improvement with difelikefalin versus placebo (49.0% vs. 28.9%; p = 0.006) compared with White patients. Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was higher for Black/AA patients (difelikefalin: 78.5%; placebo: 70.8%) versus White patients (difelikefalin: 64.8%; placebo: 61.8%).

conclusionIn this post hoc analysis, difelikefalin was efficacious in the Black/AA population and had an acceptable safety profile.

Indexed as

Black or African AmericanPruritusRenal DialysisAdultAgedAntipruriticsDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansKidney Failure, ChronicMaleMiddle AgedRenal Insufficiency, ChronicSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeWhiteAntipruriticsBlack/African American subgroupChronic kidney disease-associated pruritusDifelikefalinEfficacySafety

Identifiers

PMID38253036
PMCPMC11152003
OpenAlexW4391144943

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.