The Catalonian Online Hemodiafiltration Survival Study (ESHOL) published in February 2013 confirms Fresenius Medical Care’s conviction that every patient should be given the chance to benefit from hemodiafiltration (HDF) therapy with high volumes of substitution fluid (HighVolumeHDF). The primary outcome of the study was that HighVolumeHDF therapy significantly improves patient survival compared with conventional dialysis treatment. At this year’s ERA-EDTA Congress, held in Istanbul, Turkey from May 18 to 21, HighVolumeHDF was the main focus of Fresenius Medical Care’s activities.

Results of the Catalonian HDF study, recently published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, were presented at Fresenius Medical Care’s Scientific Lunch Symposium by the lead study investigator, Dr. Francisco Maduell of Barcelona, Spain. With 906 patients from 27 centers in Spain’s Catalonia region, this is the largest study to date on HDF. The main finding of this randomized controlled trial is a 30% reduced risk of all-cause mortality for patients treated with HDF and large volumes of substitution (HighVolumeHDF) compared with patients treated with conventional hemodialysis. The large number of participants – more than 1,000 – at the symposium underlined the nephrology community’s keen interest in the symposium’s subject, “Emerging Concept: High Volume Matters in Hemodiafiltration (HighVolumeHDF).”

Professor Bernard Canaud, Chairman of Fresenius Medical Care’s EMEALA (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America) Medical Board, summarized the symposium, stating that “HighVolumeHDF significantly improves patient survival and quality of life versus standard hemodialysis and should therefore be the standard in cardioprotective hemodialysis for all patients.”

These latest findings confirm the longstanding conviction of Fresenius Medical Care that HighVolumeHDF is the most efficient and cardioprotective therapy for dialysis patients with end-stage renal failure. That is why Fresenius Medical Care has been developing products for cardioprotective hemodialysis for years, leading to the CorDiax product line and the Online Purification Cascade for best water quality. This comprehensive approach, presented at the booth and the therapy forum, perfectly supports the application of HighVolumeHDF in daily clinical practice. The 5008 CorDiax and 5008S CorDiax therapy systems include a new feature for achieving high substitution volumes, the AutoSub plus. This is an intelligent automatic regulation system to maximize the substitution volume for the individual patient while avoiding the risk of filter blockage. The 5008 CorDiax and 5008S CorDiax therapy systems therefore facilitate HighVolumeHDF in a very simple and safe manner, making HighVolumeHDF therapy feasible for all patients.

Fresenius Medical Care’s strong commitment to research and innovation was also evidenced by the 44 abstracts of original scientific research accepted for presentation at the congress. These contributions, in the form of scientific posters and oral presentations, spanned multiple research categories, from stem cell research through all stages of chronic and acute kidney disease. The categories with the most Fresenius Medical Care research contributions were:

• Extracorporeal dialysis – techniques and adequacy (9 posters & 1 oral presentation)
• Epidemiology (7 posters)
• CKD-Mineral & Bone Disorder (3 posters & 3 oral presentations) 

Three of the abstracts were considered among the best 10 contributions received, and were given special recognition by the ERA-EDTA.

<link file:2235 _blank pdf "High-Volume Hemodiafiltration Improves Patient Survival – The Key Message of Fresenius Medical Care at the 50th ERA-EDTA Congress">Press release</link>

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Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, a condition that affects more than 2.3 million individuals worldwide. Through its network of 3,180 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatment to 261,648 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the world's leading provider of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products.

Disclaimer

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.

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