Phosphate binders

Phosphate binders are a group of medications used to reduce the absorption of phosphate and taken with meals and snacks. They are typically used in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) as they cannot get rid of the phosphates that get into their blood (i.e. the serum phosphate in chronic renal failure is typically elevated). For patients with chronic renal failure, controlling serum phosphate is important because it is associated with bone p... More

Phosphate binders are a group of medications used to reduce the absorption of phosphate and taken with meals and snacks. They are typically used in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) as they cannot get rid of the phosphates that get into their blood (i.e. the serum phosphate in chronic renal failure is typically elevated). For patients with chronic renal failure, controlling serum phosphate is important because it is associated with bone pathology and regulated together with serum calcium by the parathyroid hormone (PTH). These agents work by binding to phosphate in the GI tract, thereby making it unavailable to the body for absorption. Hence, these drugs are usually taken with meals to bind any phosphate that may be present in the ingested food. Phosphate binders may be simple molecular entities (such as aluminium, calcium, or lanthanum salts) that react with phosphate and form an insoluble compound. Phosphate binders, such as sevelamer, may also be polymeric structures which...

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