ETANA CELEBRATES WORLD KIDNEY DAY THROUGH HEALTH EDUCATION

Jakarta, 26 March 2023 - PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia (Etana) together with the Indonesian Dialysis Patient Community (KPCDI) held an online health education themed "Choose EPO or Blood Transfusion" with Dr. Afiatin dr. SpPD-KGH., FINASIM, Renal and Hypertension Consultant Internist, Head of HD Installation at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung. Etana conducts various health education activities in hospitals and hemodialysis units across Indonesia targeting hemodialysis patients, patient families, health workers and internal medicine specialists, kidney and hypertension consultants as part of a series of activities carried out in commemoration of World Kidney Day.

Randy Stevian, Head of Sales & Marketing of PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia said "Etana continues to strive to serve patients by providing high quality and affordable biopharmaceutical products, one of which is through the product epoetin alfa which can help patients undergoing hemodialysis. Through this webinar, we hope to increase public knowledge, especially hemodialysis patients, in improving the quality of life to maintain and protect health in an effort to improve the health of the nation."

Tony Richard Samosir, Chairman of KPCDI said, "As we know anemia is a problem for dialysis patients, in which one of the therapies that can be undertaken is the epo injection or another alternative is by taking a blood transfusion.  Through health education, KPCDI wants to share knowledge about appropriate therapy for dialysis patients, with the hope that therapy is carried out according to needs and activities so that it can improve the patient's quality of life to remain productive.

Dr. Afiatin dr. SpPD-KGH., FINASIM said "Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Patients who have anemia must be treated properly, where Ertythropoiesis Stimulating Agent (ESA) therapy is the main therapy. ESA therapy can be given to patients with HB <10g/dl, other causes of anemia have been ruled out, there is no absolute iron deficiency anemia and no severe infections. Meanwhile, blood transfusion therapy can be given under certain conditions, because it has several risks including infection, excess iron levels and excess fluids, besides that it can cause transfusion reactions in some patients."

ESA administration remains the best choice for anemia therapy in CKD which must be done routinely. By doing ESA therapy, the body can increase Hb in a sustainable manner, thereby producing red blood cells that can function normally and can maintain a higher Hb target, thus affecting the patient's quality of life. Whereas blood transfusions have many risks if they are given to patients on dialysis, such as iron overload, fluid overload, the risk of hepatitis B, C and HIV infection, and other risks. It is for this reason that it is recommended to avoid blood transfusions as much as possible to reduce the risk of side effects.

Etana at a glance

Established in 2014, Etana is an Indonesian biopharmaceutical company that researches, manufactures and markets biological therapies for the Southeast Asian market. With a mission to serve patients by providing high quality, affordable, and innovative therapies, the company has built state-of-the-art local production facility that meet international and Indonesian FDA standards. The facility is able to produce biological therapy with halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Etana aspires to become a leading biopharmaceutical company in the ASEAN region through aggressive expansion in production capacity and product development, with a primary focus on oncology and vaccine products.

Etana is led by a local management team who come from various international and domestic educational backgrounds and have strong experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, and are supported by a team of international investors and leading biopharmaceutical companies. Etana aims to provide innovative yet affordable therapies through local production, to support Indonesian government programs and larger market demands. Etana is currently a leading biotech company in Indonesia committed to the research and manufacture of monoclonal antibodies, mRNAs and other biological platforms.