Treating SHPT With Rayaldee® (calcifediol) Extended-Release Capsules
What is Rayaldee?
Rayaldee is an oral medicine prescribed to treat adults with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), and low vitamin D levels.
Rayaldee is not for children. Rayaldee is not for people who have stage 5 CKD or are on dialysis.
How Rayaldee works
The active ingredient in Rayaldee is calcifediol. Due to its extended-release formulation, Rayaldee provides steady release of calcifediol over a 12-hour period. Your body converts calcifediol into calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D3.
Calcitriol binds to vitamin D receptors. It activates pathways that cause your body to
- Absorb more calcium and phosphorus
- Make less parathyroid hormone (PTH)
Within the first 2 weeks of treatment with Rayaldee in clinical studies, blood levels of calcitriol were increased and blood levels of PTH were reduced.
Treatment with Rayaldee
Before you start treatment with Rayaldee, your healthcare provider will check the levels of certain hormones and minerals in your blood. After you have taken Rayaldee for a few months, your healthcare provider will again check these levels.
Hormones and minerals checked may include:
- Vitamin D
- Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
Be sure to get your lab work as prescribed. Your healthcare provider may adjust the dose of Rayaldee based on the results. |
Watch this video to learn more about SHPT and how Rayaldee® (calcifediol) may help. Ver en español.
Watch this video to learn more about SHPT and how Rayaldee® (calcifediol) may help. Ver en español. |
In clinical trials, Rayaldee has been very well tolerated.
Health issues that occur during a clinical trial are called treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). In clinical trials of Rayaldee, some people received Rayaldee and others received placebo (“sugar” pill). Among people taking Rayaldee, only about 5% (5 out of 100) had to stop treatment because of a TEAE. A similar number of people taking placebo, about 4% (4 out of 100), had to stop because of a TEAE.
These are the most common side effects of Rayaldee:
Anemia (low levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin) |
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Infection in the nose and/or throat |
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Increased levels of blood creatinine (a measure of kidney function) |
Shortness of breath |
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Cough |
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Congestive heart failure |
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Constipation |
Talk with your healthcare provider.
Be sure to let your healthcare provider know how you feel or if you have any issues. There may be ways for them to help.
Learn more about getting started with Rayaldee.