Roche says data supports Cera use against anemia (Reuters)

ZURICH (Reuters) - An extended trial of Roche's anemia drug Cera has shown it succesfully fights anemia in patients with kidney disease, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday.

Roche said the year-long study of 61 patients, an extension of a continued Phase II trial, showed Cera could be used in one dose every four weeks to control hemoglobin levels in patients undergoing dialysis.

Hemoglobin is the protein that binds with oxygen in red blood cells.

Cera works by stimulating red blood cell production, which is lower than normal in anemia sufferers. Anemia affects up to 90 percent of patients with kidney disease, starving the body of oxygen and causing extreme fatigue and other symptoms.

Analysts have said Cera could take up to one-third of the global market for anemia drugs and generate billions of dollars in annual sales. Earlier studies have shown it to be effective in treating anemia in cancer patients.