CVS, a top competitor in the growing health tech realm, announced Wednesday that the company has set sail on a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of their HemoCare Hemodialysis System, which allows hemodialysis to be administered to patients in their homes.
The goal for administering the hemodialysis treatment — the process of purifying one’s blood via a machine because their kidneys are not functioning properly — at home is to make longer and more frequent treatments, which are thought to produce better outcomes, possible.
According to CVS’s announcement, the forthcoming clinical trial will include up to 70 patients at 10 U.S. sites.
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"We're working now to change the kidney care paradigm by bringing to market programs and tools to improve early detection of kidney disease and provide comprehensive education and support to help delay the transition to dialysis," said Alan Lotvin, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, CVS Health, said in the company’s announcement.
Current standards for dialysis recommend that patient visit a dialysis center for treatment three times per week, despite research holding that longer, more frequent treatments prove beneficial.
This home dialysis technology comes at the heels of the company's "CVS Kidney Care" program, which is developing “a series of comprehensive solutions for all commercial and government payers that are focused on improving health and outcomes for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD).”
The CVS HemoCare Hemodialysis System was created in collaboration with DEKA Research & Development Corp.