Chewable tablet offers new option for ESRD patients

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) tend to develop hyperphosphatemia, which, if left untreated, can lead to calcification of the heart and blood vessels. Dietary phosphate restriction is the first line of therapy for reducing phosphorus levels in these patients. However, it is often unsuccessful, thereby creating quite a challenge for the more than 300,000 Americans with ESRD.