Resources

Resources

Image of How to Take Velphoro tear sheet

How to Take Velphoro

Share administration guidance and tips for remembering to take Velphoro.

GET THE TEAR SHEET
Image of Phosphate Binder Check-in tear sheet

Phosphate Binder Check-In

Engage patients with an educational crossword and questions about their phosphate binder.

GET THE TEAR SHEET
Image of Lower Phosphorus Grocery Guide

Lower Phosphorus Grocery Guide

Help patients keep kidney-friendly foods top of mind with this shopping guide.

GET THE GUIDE
Image of Impact of High Phosphorus tear sheet

Impact of High Phosphorus

Educate patients on the impact of high phosphorus and ways to control it.

GET THE TEAR SHEET
Image of patient certificate

Patient Certificate

Acknowledge a patient’s progress toward their phosphorus goal. 

GET THE CERTIFICATE
Get the certificate in Spanish
Seasonal certificates to recognize a patient's progress

Patient Certificates (seasonal themes)

Recognize a patient's progress toward their phosphorus goals throughout the year.

GET THE CERTIFICATES
Get the certificates in Spanish

Image of Velphoro Concierge Support prescriber resource

Velphoro Concierge Support:
Prescriber Resource

Learn about the Velphoro Concierge Support program to help patients get Velphoro when they have a choice of pharmacy.

GET THE PRESCRIBER RESOURCE
Image of Velphoro Concierge Support patient resource

Velphoro Concierge Support:
Patient Resource

Help patients who get Velphoro through Velphoro Concierge Support understand how they will obtain their prescription.

GET THE PATIENT RESOURCE
Velphoro Enrollment Form

Velphoro Concierge Support:
Enrollment Form

Prescribe Velphoro and enroll patients who have a choice of pharmacy in the Velphoro Concierge Support program.

GET THE FORM

Document Icon

First-line use of Velphoro

Medaura JA, Zhou M, Ficociello LH, et al. Am J Nephrol. 2024;55(2):127-135.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

1-year follow-up on a contemporary cohort 

Kendrick JB, Zhou M, Ficociello LH, et al. Int J Nephrol Renovasc Dis. 2022;15:139-149.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

2-year comparative analysis

Coyne DW, Ficociello LH, Parameswaran V, et al. Kidney Med. 2020;2(3):307-316.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

6-month analysis

Coyne DW, Ficociello LH, Parameswaran V, et al. Clin Nephrol. 2017;88(2):59-67.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

1-year historical analysis in maintenance hemodialysis

Kendrick J, Parameswaran V, Ficociello LH, et al.
J Ren Nutr. 2019;29(5):428-437.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

Analysis from a different LDO

Gray K, Ficociello LH, Hunt AE, Mullon C, Brunelli SM. Int J Nephrol Renovasc Dis. 2019;12:1-8.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

6-month analysis in patients on peritoneal dialysis

Kalantar-Zadeh K, Parameswaran V, Ficociello L, et al. Am J Nephrol. 2018;47(3):153-161.

SEE THE DATA

Document Icon

Largest registrational phosphate binder study

Floege J, Covic AC, Ketteler M, et al. Kidney Int. 2014;86(3):638-647.

SEE THE DATA
Document Icon

28-week extension study

Floege J, Covic AC, Ketteler M, et al. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2015;30(6):1037-1046.

SEE THE DATA

Frequently asked questions

If you have an important medical question about Velphoro, please contact Medical Information at Fresenius Medical Care.

Phone: 855-616-2309
Email: medical.information@freseniusmedicalcare.com

The clinical reasons you have prescribed Velphoro are important to patient success. You can continue to prescribe or order Velphoro for patients:

  • Who are already on Velphoro
  • For whom starting or switching is appropriate

Velphoro is available through the ESRD Medicare Prospective Payment System (the bundle).*1 Your dialysis organization will provide guidance on process and formulary.

For patients whose phosphate binders are not covered through the bundle, help remains available through Velphoro Concierge Support, powered by ASPN Pharmacies. Details about ways to prescribe and the benefits of Velphoro Concierge Support can be found on the Access page.

A variety of resources are available on this page. Expand each section above to find patient education handouts, Velphoro Concierge Support resources, and published data. 

Velphoro has no interaction with commonly prescribed oral drugs, including oral calcitriol. Velphoro can be administered with levothyroxine, as long as the doses are separated by 4 hours. Take acetylsalicylic acid, cephalexin, and doxycycline at least 1 hour before Velphoro. For medications where a reduction in bioavailability would have significant effect, consider separating the administration of the two drugs, taking into account absorption characteristics of the second medication.2

There are no contraindications for Velphoro.2

Velphoro is the most potent phosphate binder per tablet.3 Use of Velphoro has been shown to reduce the phosphate-binder pill burden for patients on dialysis by half, while doubling the percentage of patients who achieve serum phosphorus levels of ≤5.5 mg/dL.4,5

  • Velphoro tablets can be broken, crushed, or chewed and should not be swallowed whole2
  • The recommended starting dose is one 500-mg tablet, 3 times daily with meals2
  • Monitor serum phosphorus levels and titrate the dose of Velphoro by 1 tablet per day (not per meal), as often as weekly2
  • Velphoro must be administered with meals. If a dose is missed, resume Velphoro with the next meal2
  • Velphoro tablets are berry flavored2

In vitro studies have shown that up to 96% of available phosphate is bound by Velphoro, then eliminated in the feces. Reduction in serum phosphorus and calcium-phosphorus product levels results from reduced dietary phosphate absorption.2

Adverse events with Velphoro are usually mild and transient, and similar to those of sevelamer, as seen in a 55-week, open-label, active-controlled, parallel-design safety and efficacy study of 968 hemodialysis patients, and 86 peritoneal dialysis patients.2

  • Adverse reactions in >5% of patients taking Velphoro included diarrhea (24%), discolored feces (16%), and nausea (10%)
  • The majority of cases of diarrhea were mild, generally occurred early in treatment, and resolved with continued use2
  • Additional reported reactions include tooth discoloration and rash2

Velphoro® (sucroferric oxyhydroxide) is a phosphate binder indicated for the control of serum phosphorus levels in adult and pediatric patients 9 years of age and older with chronic kidney disease on dialysis.2

*As of January 1, 2025, phosphate binders are included in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, and Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD for whom phosphate binders are medically indicated will receive their phosphate binder medication through their dialysis provider. Certain patients, such as those for whom Medicare eligibility is pending, certain Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, and those whose commercial insurance plans are the primary payer, may not be eligible to receive their phosphate binder through their dialysis organization and may still have a choice of pharmacy.

References: 1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Program; End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals With Acute Kidney Injury, Conditions for Coverage for End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities, End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program, and End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model. Fed Regist. 2024;89(218):89084-89213. 42 CFR Parts 410, 413, 494, and 512. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-11-12/pdf/2024-25486.pdf 2. Velphoro® [package insert]. Waltham, MA: Fresenius Medical Care North America; 2024. 3. Coyne DW, Larson DS, Delmez JA. Bone disease. In: Daugirdas JT, Blake PG, Ing TS, eds. Handbook of Dialysis. 5th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015:665-692. 4. Coyne DW, Ficociello LH, Parameswaran V, et al. Real-world effectiveness of sucroferric oxyhydroxide in patients on chronic hemodialysis: a retrospective analysis of pharmacy data. Clin Nephrol. 2017;88(2):59-67. 5. Kendrick J, Parameswaran V, Ficociello LH, et al. One-year historical cohort study of the phosphate binder sucroferric oxyhydroxide in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. J Ren Nutr. 2019;29(5):428-437. 

INDICATION

Velphoro® (sucroferric oxyhydroxide) is a phosphate binder indicated for the control of serum phosphorus levels in adult and pediatric patients 9 years of age and older with chronic kidney disease on dialysis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

  • Velphoro chewable tablets must be administered with meals. Velphoro should be chewed or crushed. Do not swallow whole.
  • Patients with peritonitis during peritoneal dialysis, significant gastric or hepatic disorders, following major gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, or with a history of hemochromatosis or other diseases with iron accumulation have not been included in clinical studies with Velphoro. Monitor effect and iron homeostasis in such patients.
  • In a parallel design, fixed-dose study of 6 weeks duration, the most common adverse drug reactions to Velphoro chewable tablets in hemodialysis patients included discolored feces (12%) and diarrhea (6%).
  • Velphoro can be administered concomitantly with oral calcitriol, ciprofloxacin, digoxin, enalapril, furosemide, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, hydrochlorothiazide, losartan, metoprolol, nifedipine, omeprazole, quinidine and warfarin. For oral medications where a reduction of bioavailability would be clinically significant consider separating of the timing of administration. Consider monitoring clinical responses or blood levels of the concomitant medications.

Velphoro is available by prescription only. For additional Safety Information, please see full Prescribing Information.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Fresenius Medical Care Customer Service at 1-800-323-5188 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

This information is intended for use by US healthcare professionals only.

Distributed by:
Fresenius Medical Care North America
Waltham, MA 02451

Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharmaceuticals

© 2021, 2026 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved. Fresenius Medical Care and the triangle logo are trademarks for which Fresenius Medical Care AG holds rights. Velphoro is a trademark of Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.