ETANA AND KPCDI PROVIDE KIDNEY HEALTH EDUCATION IN RELATION TO ANEMIA THERAPY IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENT
Jakarta, 27 February 2022 – PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia (Etana) together with the Indonesian Dialysis Patient Community (KPCDI) held an online health education with the theme of Management of Anemia: Reducing Blood Transfusion Rates with the speaker Prof. dr. Rully MA Roesli, Ph.D., Sp.PD-KGH, and moderated by dr. Lia Kurnia Hartanti, MARS. MM. This webinar was held as a part of the series of the World Kidney Day commemorations which falls on March 10, 2022. Etana and KPDCI have been consistently providing education to patients and the public regarding kidney health.
Tony Richard Samosir, Chairman of KPCDI said “Through this health education, KPCDI wants to increase the knowledge of the dialysis patients so that they can choose the right therapy for themselves. As we know anemia is a problem for dialysis patients, in which one of the therapies that can be undertaken is the epo injection or another alternative is by taking a blood transfusion. Hopefully, through this morning's webinar, hemodialysis patients can increase their knowledge about anemia therapy according to their needs and activities, in order to improve the patient's quality of life to remain productive and always enthusiastic."
Nathan Tirtana, President Director of PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia said "Etana as a health company in Indonesia routinely supports World Kidney Day activities every year, this is a form of our concern for patients with kidney disease, especially patients undergoing hemodialysis. In addition, we also continue to strive to serve patients by providing high-quality and affordable biopharmaceutical products, one of which is the epoetin alpha product, which can help patients undergoing hemodialysis.”
Prof. dr. Rully MA Roesli, PhD, SpPD-KGH said “Anemia in patients with kidney failure must be treated because death in hemodialysis patients in Indonesia is mostly caused by cardiovascular disease (42%). If a hemodialysis patient has cardiovascular disease then
the kidneys become weak, the heart becomes weak. Therefore, the anemia must be treated by giving EPO therapy with an indication of Hb < 10 g/dL with certain conditions that must be met, such as no severe infection.
Epo injections must be done routinely, the problem is that in Indonesia the provision of erythropoietin has not been included in the hemodialysis financing, so the provision of blood transfusions is still quite a lot. Even though that blood transfusions have many risks when performed on dialysis patients. While EPO therapy is safer to undertake because it can produce a continuous increase in Hb, produce red blood cells that function normally, and can improve quality of life by maintaining a higher Hb target.
Etana at a glance
PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia (Etana) was established in 2015 and is a biotechnology company in Indonesia that focuses on the production and marketing of biological drugs in the oncology field for the Southeast Asian market. Etana is currently marketing EPO (Erythropoietin) in Indonesia for the treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. Etana has biotechnology production facilities that meet international standards and BPOM. Etana's production facilities have the capability to produce biosimilar/biology sterile solutions with PFS injection packaging.