Objective  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in hemodialysis (HD) patients with renal anemia based upon the changes of erythropoietin (EPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and △Hbmax.

Methods  A total of 80 HD patients with renal anemia diagnosed and treated from January 2020 to December 2021 were selected as research subjects. They were assigned into two groups of observation and control group (n=40 each) according to the simple number table method. Control group received an injection of recombinant human erythropoietin while observation group had roxadustat capsules. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The parametric changes of anemia, inflammation and occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment were compared between two groups.

Results  After treatment, red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct) and EPO in two groups were higher than those before treatment. And observation group was higher than control group (P<0.05). After treatment, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in two groups were lower than those before treatment. And observation group was lower than control group (P<0.05). The proportion of 0 g/L<△Hbmax≤10 g/L was lower in observation group than that in control group; the proportion of △HbmaX >30 g/L was higher than that in control group (P<0.05). During treatment, overall incidence of adverse reactions was lower in observation group than that in control group (7.50% vs 22.50%). However, there was no significant inter-group difference (P>0.05).

Conclusions  Dosing of roxadustat in HD patients with renal anemia can effectively improve the symptoms of anemia and suppress the inflammatory response of body. And safety profile is excellent.