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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Renal Pharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1476587

Difelikefalin in the treatment of hemodialysis patients with pruritus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Xiaoyue Cai Xiaoyue Cai 1Guiming Wu Guiming Wu 2Yan Lin Yan Lin 3Lichuan Yang Lichuan Yang 4*
  • 1 Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Dazhou Central Hospital, DaZhou, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 The First People’s Hospital of Shuangliu District, Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background and Objective: Uremic pruritus is a persistent condition that is difficult to cure in patients with end-stage renal disease who are having regular dialysis. It is highly prevalent, and current therapies have limited effectiveness and can cause significant adverse effects. Several trials have provided evidence that difelikefalin can be an effective treatment for uremic pruritus, with few side responses. However, it is important to note that the available evidence is limited. This study collected published randomized controlled trials for systematic review and Meta-analysis, to explore the efficacy and safety of difelikefalin treating uremic pruritus and to provide evidence-based medical evidence for clinical treatment. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library Data from building libraries to 6 January 2024. We extracted data from eligible studies to analyze the efficacy and safety of difelikefalin in the treatment of hemodialysis patients with pruritus. Results: This study comprised 9 trials with 4,118 people. The meta-analysis demonstrated that difelikefalin is more effective than placebo in treating uremic pruritus. Specifically, difelikefalin resulted in a greater improvement in WI-NRS scores of at least 3 points from baseline (OR = 1.98) and at least 4 points from baseline (OR = 1.94). Additionally, difelikefalin led to a decrease in the total score of the 5-D itch scale (MD = 1.56), a decrease in the skindex-10 scale score (MD = 4.92), and a decrease in the WI-NRS scale score (MD = 0.91). Conclusions Difelikefalin demonstrates significant efficacy in alleviating pruritus in individuals suffering from uremia.Althogh it has adverse events, they are mild.

    Keywords: Difelikefalin, hemodialysis, Pruritus, Systematic review, Meta-analysis

    Received: 06 Aug 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Cai, Wu, Lin and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lichuan Yang, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.