FDA approves Veltassa (patiromer for oral suspension) to treat hyperkalemia- Relypsa

The FDA has approved Veltassa (patiromer for oral suspension), from Relypsa, to treat hyperkalaemia, a serious condition in which the amount of potassium in the blood is too high. Veltassa was formerly known as RLY 5016.

In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions reported by participants taking patiromer were constipation, decreased magnesium levels in the blood (hypomagnesaemia), diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort and flatulence. The use of Veltassa is not appropriate for rapid correction of severe hyperkalaemia because lowering of serum potassium may take hours to days.

Comment: Patients with chronic kidney disease or heart failure are at particular risk for developing hyperkalaemia, especially those treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) inhibitors such as ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers), AAs (aldosterone antagonists) and ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors. Although RAAS inhibition has been shown to protect kidney and cardiac function, many patients who could benefit from RAAS inhibitors are untreated or undertreated due to the undesirable side effect of increasing serum potassium.