A Phase 3 interventional study of MT-6548 and Darbepoetin alfa in Anemia; Non-dialysis Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease, sponsored by Tanabe Pharma Corporation. Completed at 31 sites in Japan. Open to participants aged 20 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-06.
Sponsored by Tanabe Pharma Corporation · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
For Non-dialysis subjects with anemia associated with chronic kidney disease, demonstrate non-inferiority of MT-6548 compared to darbepoetin alfa using Hb value and evaluate long-term safety of MT-6548.
For subjects not currently receiving ESAs, evaluate Hb correction and maintenance effect of MT-6548 and for subjects currently receiving ESAs, evaluate Hb conversion and maintenance effect of MT-6548
1,810 studies on the registry are indexed under Anemia; 215 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 304 is above the median of 117 across 1,336 interventional studies indexed under Anemia.
Browse Anemia studies →Tanabe Pharma Corporation is the lead sponsor of 92 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (75%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Ophthalmic examinations during the screening period correspond to either of the following criteria;
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.
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
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).
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.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests 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).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Bilirubin
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ULN (upper limit of normal)
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Drug: MT-6548
Drug: Darbepoetin alfa
Oral tablet
Also known as: vadadustat, AKB-6548
Subcutaneous
Mean Hb Level of Week 20 and Week 24
Time frame: Up to Week 24
Mean Hb Level of Week 48 and Week 52
Time frame: Up to Week 52
Hb Level at Each Assessment Time Point
Time frame: Up to Week 52
Percentage of Subjects With Hb Level at Each Assessment Time Point Within the Target Range During the Treatment Period
Time frame: Up to Week 52
Time to Reach the Target Hb Range in Correction Group Only
Time frame: Up to Week 52
Rate of Increase in Hb Level in Correction Group Only
Time frame: Up to Week 6
| Milestone | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 151 | 153 |
| Completed | 111 | 123 |
| Not completed | 40 | 30 |
| Withdrew: Adverse event | 10 | 5 |
| Withdrew: Physician decision | 2 | 2 |
| Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject | 11 | 3 |
| Withdrew: Hepatic function abnormalities | 0 | 1 |
| Withdrew: Conducting rescue therapy before week 24 | 2 | 1 |
| Withdrew: Difficult to control hb | 2 | 3 |
| Withdrew: Dialysis or renal transplant | 13 | 15 |
| g/dL | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Hb Level of Week 20 and Week 24 | 11.66 (11.49 to 11.84) | 11.93 (11.76 to 12.10) |
| g/dL | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Hb Level of Week 48 and Week 52 | 11.54 (11.38 to 11.69) | 11.63 (11.48 to 11.77) |
| g/dL | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 10.44 (10.29 to 10.59) | 10.52 (10.38 to 10.66) |
| Week 2 | 10.64 (10.48 to 10.80) | 10.75 (10.62 to 10.89) |
| Week 4 | 10.71 (10.54 to 10.89) | 10.90 (10.76 to 11.05) |
| Week 6 | 10.87 (10.69 to 11.04) | 11.23 (11.08 to 11.38) |
| Week 8 | 11.13 (10.96 to 11.30) | 11.42 (11.26 to 11.59) |
| Week 10 | 11.33 (11.17 to 11.49) | 11.70 (11.54 to 11.85) |
| Week 12 | 11.50 (11.34 to 11.67) | 11.88 (11.72 to 12.04) |
| Week 16 | 11.56 (11.39 to 11.74) | 12.00 (11.84 to 12.16) |
| Week 20 | 11.66 (11.47 to 11.84) | 11.92 (11.77 to 12.06) |
| Week 24 | 11.68 (11.49 to 11.87) | 11.94 (11.80 to 12.08) |
| Week 28 | 11.72 (11.56 to 11.88) | 11.89 (11.74 to 12.03) |
| Week 32 | 11.74 (11.57 to 11.91) | 11.79 (11.66 to 11.92) |
| Week 36 | 11.74 (11.58 to 11.91) | 11.99 (11.84 to 12.15) |
| Week 40 | 11.61 (11.46 to 11.76) | 11.78 (11.66 to 11.91) |
| Week 44 | 11.50 (11.35 to 11.66) | 11.68 (11.56 to 11.80) |
| Week 48 | 11.68 (11.52 to 11.84) | 11.73 (11.59 to 11.87) |
| Week 52 | 11.62 (11.47 to 11.77) | 11.64 (11.52 to 11.76) |
| Week 52 (LOCF) | 11.29 (11.11 to 11.47) | 11.50 (11.34 to 11.65) |
| percentage of subjects | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 31.1 | 32.7 |
| Week 2 | 36.4 | 37.9 |
| Week 4 | 46.3 | 53.3 |
| Week 6 | 45.3 | 63.8 |
| Week 8 | 57.9 | 65.6 |
| Week 10 | 59.3 | 68.0 |
| Week 12 | 68.3 | 67.6 |
| Week 16 | 68.5 | 71.6 |
| Week 20 | 65.5 | 73.6 |
| Week 24 | 68.2 | 77.9 |
| Week 28 | 77.6 | 76.6 |
| Week 32 | 75.0 | 78.8 |
| Week 36 | 77.3 | 77.5 |
| Week 40 | 76.3 | 87.4 |
| Week 44 | 71.9 | 85.5 |
| Week 48 | 74.5 | 79.8 |
| Week 52 | 75.2 | 80.3 |
| days | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Reach the Target Hb Range in Correction Group Only | 43.0 (12 to 361) | 29.0 (14 to 225) |
| g/dL/week | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Calculated based on Hb at baseline and Week 4 | 0.14 (0.09 to 0.19) | 0.21 (0.17 to 0.24) |
| Calculated based on Hb up to Week6 | 0.13 (0.09 to 0.17) | 0.21 (0.18 to 0.25) |
Collected over 52 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| MT-6548 | 0/151 (0%) | 42/151 (27.8%) | 85/151 (56.3%) |
| Darbepoetin Alfa | 1/153 (0.7%) | 49/153 (32%) | 80/153 (52.3%) |
| Event | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic kidney diseaseRenal and urinary disorders | 7/151 | 11/153 |
| Renal impairmentRenal and urinary disorders | 6/151 | 6/153 |
| CataractEye disorders | 3/151 | 0/153 |
| End stage renal diseaseRenal and urinary disorders | 3/151 | 1/153 |
| PneumoniaInfections and infestations | 2/151 | 3/153 |
| Cardiac failure congestiveCardiac disorders | 2/151 | 0/153 |
| Spinal compression fractureInjury, poisoning and procedural complications | 2/151 | 0/153 |
| Renal failureRenal and urinary disorders | 2/151 | 1/153 |
| Cardiac failure acuteCardiac disorders | 0/151 | 2/153 |
| Inguinal herniaGastrointestinal disorders | 0/151 | 2/153 |
| Event | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa |
|---|---|---|
| NasopharyngitisInfections and infestations | 37/151 | 43/153 |
| DiarrhoeaGastrointestinal disorders | 18/151 | 8/153 |
| ConstipationGastrointestinal disorders | 14/151 | 11/153 |
| Oedema peripheralGeneral disorders | 11/151 | 5/153 |
| ContusionInjury, poisoning and procedural complications | 11/151 | 7/153 |
| HypertensionVascular disorders | 2/151 | 11/153 |
| VomitingGastrointestinal disorders | 10/151 | 3/153 |
| CystitisInfections and infestations | 6/151 | 9/153 |
| PyrexiaGeneral disorders | 8/151 | 1/153 |
| Chronic kidney diseaseRenal and urinary disorders | 5/151 | 8/153 |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 33 | 28 | 61 |
| >=65 years | 118 | 125 | 243 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 76 | 80 | 156 |
| Male | 75 | 73 | 148 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized(Participants) | MT-6548 | Darbepoetin Alfa | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian (Japanese) | 151 | 153 | 304 |
| Asian (Other) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Vadadustat