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TerminatedNCT03214627ANEMEXUpdated Jan 7, 2020

Artificial Intelligence for Optimal Anemia Management in End-stage Renal Disease: The Anemia Control Model (ACM) Trial

An interventional study of Anemia Control Model (ACM) and IV iron in Anemia and End Stage Renal Disease, sponsored by Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma. Terminated at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 19 Years to 90 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-01-07.

Sponsored by Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (part of CSL Limited) · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

Why this study was terminated
Standard clinical practice at site caused unforeseen issues for the use of the ACM
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
88
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
19 Years to 90 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Fresenius Medical Care has developed a computer software programme called the Anaemia Control Management (ACM) software to assist in the anaemia management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis. This trial is designed to assess the effectiveness of this ACM software on anaemia management in routine clinical practice. However, all ultimate decisions on therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, treatments, management of the disease, or resource utilisation will be at the discretion of the Investigator. The trial consists of a retrospective (historical) control period and a prospective (going forward) period. During the prospective period, the ACM will be used to assist the Investigators' decision making and will help the Investigators to administer a personalised intravenous (IV) iron and red blood cell stimulating agent (ESA) therapy, whereas treatment according to standard of care will be documented retrospectively for the same patients during the retrospective period of the trial. Thus, patients can serve as their own control.

Read the detailed description

Fresenius Medical Care has developed an algorithm that uses a data-driven computational intelligence model based on an artificial neural network architecture (ACM) to generate individualised ESA dose recommendations from a history of dose and response information and specific patient demographic characteristics.

The ACM has been validated and complies with the European requirements for medical devices. The ACM was classified as a Class I medical device in accordance with Directive 93/42/EEC. A proof of concept trial was conducted in 3 NephroCare dialysis clinics (managed by Fresenius) in the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain. It could be shown that the introduction of ACM-guided therapy led to a significant decrease in median darbepoetin doses and to a significant increase in on-target haemoglobin (Hb) values along with a decrease in Hb fluctuation. Moreover, a retrospective trial conducted in NephroCare clinics in Portugal, suggested that ACM is able to reliably predict the long-term response to ESA and iron therapy in patients undergoing haemodialysis.

The current trial will test the applicability of the ACM outside of Fresenius clinics in a public hospital setting in the UK. Both intravenous (IV) iron and ESA doses will be recommended by the algorithm. The effectiveness of ACM-guided therapy on several anaemia outcomes will be assessed in adult patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).This trial will be conducted at 1 main unit and 5 satellite units at King's College Hospital, London, UK, in patients with ESRD who are routinely undergoing haemodialysis.

This trial is designed to assess the effectiveness of the ACM software on anaemia management in routine clinical practice. However, all ultimate decisions on therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, treatments, management of the disease, or resource utilisation will be at the discretion of the Investigator.

The trial will consist of a retrospective control period and a prospective period. During the prospective period, the ACM will be used to facilitate the Investigators' decision making and will help the Investigators to administer a personalised IV iron and ESA therapy, whereas treatment according to standard of care will be documented retrospectively for the same patients during the retrospective period of the trial. Thus, patients can serve as their own control.

The planned overall duration of the trial is 18 months (12 months recruitment period + 6 months until last patient last visit). The planned duration of prospective treatment for an individual patient will be 6 months. The collection of retrospective data from medical records covering a period of 6 months will take place as soon as the Informed Consent Form (ICF) is signed but at the latest at baseline.

Data will be collected at designated time Points (monthly) throughout the Trial once the ICF is signed: at the latest at baseline (collection of retrospective data), at baseline (start of prospective documentation), and for the observation time points (Month 1 to Month 6). However, examinations will follow routine clinical practice at the site according to the Investigator's decision.

02

Conditions studied

  • Anemia
  • End Stage Renal Disease
03

In context

Anemia

1,810 studies on the registry are indexed under Anemia; 215 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 88 is below the median of 117 across 1,336 interventional studies indexed under Anemia.

Browse Anemia studies →

Lead sponsor

Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma is the lead sponsor of 9 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

First submitted before Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma became part of CSL Limited.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
19 Years to 90 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 19 to 90 years
  • On haemodialysis for the past 18 months prior to baseline
  • Treatment with IV iron sucrose during the past 6 months according to the respective Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
  • Treatment with epoetin beta during the past 6 months according to the respective SmPC
  • Regular measurements and at least 5 (standard of care, approximately monthly) Hb measurements during the past 6 months
  • Ferritin measurements during the past 6 months (at least 2 measurements)
  • Signed

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • \<6 months
  • One or more measurements \<8 g/dl during the control period
  • Living-donor transplant scheduled within the next 6 months
  • Scheduled for switch to peritoneal dialysis or home haemodialysis
  • Blood transfusion during the past 9 months
  • Pregnancy or breast feeding
  • Active infection
  • Current or haematological disorder
  • Previous severe reaction to IV iron sucrose
  • Serious allergic reactions to darbepoetin alfa or epoetin alfa/beta/zeta, respectively
  • Current treatment with PEGylated erythropoietin
  • Surgery in the past 6 months
  • Surgery scheduled within the next 6 months
  • Participation in a clinical trial in the past 7 months
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
88 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Anemia Control Model IV iron and ESA

    Anemia Control Model (ACM) algorithm to recommend monthly IV and ESA dose over a 6 month period IV iron: given monthly as required - dosing recommendation by ACM over 6 a month period Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent (ESA): given monthly as required - dosing recommendation by ACM over 6 a month period

    Device: Anemia Control Model (ACM) · Drug: IV iron · Drug: Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent (ESA)

Interventions

  • DeviceAnemia Control Model (ACM)

    The ACM is mainly composed of 2 sub-Systems - predictor model which, depending on the input data, forecasts the response to anaemia drug therapy for a specific patient. The predictor model is implemented as a feed-forward artificial neural network. The ACM is an algorithm that extracts the optimal policy to achieve the established clinical outcome for anaemia management using the predictor model.

  • IV iron given monthly as required - dose determined by the ACM and as agreed by the investigator

    Also known as: Venofer, iron sucrose

  • ESA given monthly as required over 6 months - dose determined by the ACM and as agreed by the investigator

    Also known as: epoetin beta

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in the proportion of patients with haemoglobin within the target range as compared to the historical control period (non-inferiority testing)

    The proportion of patients with at least 5 (standard of care, approximately monthly) Hb measurements and with 80% of these measurements within the target range of 10 to 12 g/dl from Month -6 to Month -1 will be compared with the proportion of patients with at least 5 measurements and with 80% of these measurements within target range of 10 to 12 g/dl from Month 1 to Month 6 (non-inferiority testing).

    Time frame: Month -6 to Month -1 compared with Month +1 to Month +6

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in the proportion of patients with haemoglobin within the target range as compared to historical control period (superiority testing)

    The proportion of patients with at least 5 (standard of care, approximately monthly) Hb measurements and with 80% of these measurements within the Hb target range of 10 to 12 g/dl from Month -6 to Month -1 will be compared with the proportion of patients with at least 5 measurements and with 80% of these measurements within target range of 10 to 12 g/dl from Month 1 to Month 6 (superiority testing).

    Time frame: Month -6 to Month -1 compared with Month +1 to Month +6

  2. Change in haemoglobin fluctuations as compared to historical control period

    The Hb fluctuation in patients with at least 5 (standard of care, approximately monthly) Hb measurements from Month -6 to Month -1 and from Month 1 to Month 6 as measured by Hb, Coefficient of Variation (CV), and Standard Deviation (SD) from Month -6 to Month -1 period versus Month 1 to Month 6.

    Time frame: Month -6 to Month -1 compared with Month +1 to Month +6

  3. Change in cumulative ESA dose as compared to historical control period

    Cumulative ESA dose from Month -6 to Month -1 versus cumulative ESA dose from Month 1 to Month 6.

    Time frame: Month -6 to Month -1 compared with Month +1 to Month +6

  4. Change in cumulative IV iron dose as compared to historical control period

    Cumulative IV iron dose from Month -6 to Month -1 versus cumulative IV iron dose from Month +1 to Month +6.

    Time frame: Month -6 to Month -1 compared with Month +1 to Month +6

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kings College Hospital
    London, United Kingdom
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Barbieri C, Mari F, Stopper A, Gatti E, Escandell-Montero P, Martinez-Martinez JM, Martin-Guerrero JD. A new machine learning approach for predicting the response to anemia treatment in a large cohort of End Stage Renal Disease patients undergoing dialysis. Comput Biol Med. 2015 Jun;61:56-61. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2015.03.019. Epub 2015 Mar 23. PubMed 25864164 ↗
  • Barbieri C, Molina M, Ponce P, Tothova M, Cattinelli I, Ion Titapiccolo J, Mari F, Amato C, Leipold F, Wehmeyer W, Stuard S, Stopper A, Canaud B. An international observational study suggests that artificial intelligence for clinical decision support optimizes anemia management in hemodialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2016 Aug;90(2):422-429. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2016.03.036. Epub 2016 Jun 2. PubMed 27262365 ↗
  • Barbieri C, Bolzoni E, Mari F, Cattinelli I, Bellocchio F, Martin JD, Amato C, Stopper A, Gatti E, Macdougall IC, Stuard S, Canaud B. Performance of a Predictive Model for Long-Term Hemoglobin Response to Darbepoetin and Iron Administration in a Large Cohort of Hemodialysis Patients. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 3;11(3):e0148938. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148938. eCollection 2016. PubMed 26939055 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 7, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03214627
Collaborators
Worldwide Clinical Trials, Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 11, 2017
Start date
Dec 10, 2018
Primary completion
May 21, 2019
Completion
May 21, 2019
Last update
Jan 7, 2020

Study contacts

Iain Macdougall
principal investigator · King's College Hospital NHS Trust

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Iron · Peginesatide

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