Phosphate binders are medications used to reduce the absorption of dietary phosphate; they are taken along with meals and snacks. They are frequently used in people with chronic kidney failure (CKF), who are less able to excrete phosphate, resulting in an elevated serum phosphate.

Mechanism of action

These agents work by binding to phosphate in the GI tract, thereby making it unavailable to the body for absorption. Hence, these drugs are usually taken with meals to bind any phosphate that may be present in the ingested food. Phosphate binders may be simple molecular entities (such as magnesium, aluminium, calcium, or lanthanum salts) that react with phosphate and form an insoluble compound. Calcium carbonate Calcium-based phosphate binders, such as calcium carbonate, directly decrease phosphate levels by creating insoluble calcium–phosphate complexes which gets eliminated in the feces. Lanthanum carbonate Non-calcium-based phosphate binders, including lanthanum carbonate, form insoluble complexes with phosphates in food, thereby reducing the amount of phosphate in the body. Sevelamer carbonate Sevelamer is an insoluble polymeric amine, which is protonated once in the intestines and this allows it to bind dietary phosphate. Phosphates are eliminated along with sevelamer, leading to a decrease in the body's phosphate levels.

Medical use

For people with chronic kidney failure, controlling serum phosphate is important because it is associated with bone pathology and regulated together with serum calcium by the parathyroid hormone (PTH).

Adverse effects

Calcium carbonate Lanthanum carbonate Sevelamer carbonate

Choice of agent

There have been limited trials comparing phosphate binders to placebo in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in people with chronic kidney disease. When compared with people receiving calcium-based binders, people taking sevelamer have a reduced all-cause mortality.

Types

Common Phosphate Binders