Novel phosphate binders: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

Sucroferric oxyhydroxide is a new calcium-free polynuclear iron(III)-oxyhydroxide compound that binds phosphate by ligand exchange. Floege et al. report equivalent phosphate control with a mean dose of three pills daily compared with eight of sevelamer, and suggest that a reduced pill burden may represent an aid to improved adherence. However, there is still no prospective interventional study to demonstrate that reduction in serum phosphate improves patient outcomes for any oral phosphate binder.