The us food and drug administration has approved its drug to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease, amgen said on February 7, 2017. The drug, etelcalcide, will be sold under the brand name Parsabiv, amgen added, adding that it is the first newly approved drug for the indication in 12 years. Annual sales of the drug are expected to exceed $600 million by 2023, according to Thomson Reuters. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a serious chronic condition that affects most nephrotic patients receiving dialysis. The disease causes the parathyroid gland to oversecrete parathyroid hormone due to decreased renal function. Parsabiv mimics the effects of calcium by activating calcium-sensitive receptors in the parathyroid gland to reduce parathyroid hormone levels. The drug is designed to be administered intravenously three times a week at the end of the dialysis course.