Human and Veterinary Medicine
Lanthanum carbonate is used in medicine as a phosphate binder. As a medication it is sold under the trade name Fosrenol by the pharmaceutical company Shire Pharmaceuticals. Fosrenol is the largest of all pills filled in community pharmacies. Sometimes patients forget that fosrenol is not swallowed whole, but instead should be chewed. This has led to severe choking. It is prescribed for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia, primarily in patients with chronic kidney disease. It is taken with meals and binds to dietary phosphate, preventing phosphate from being absorbed by the intestine. For cats suffering from hyperphosphatemia it is available under the trade name Renalzin by Bayer Animal Health.
However, when Lanthanum carbonate is used for treating hyperphosphatemia, its side effects, namely myalgia, muscular cramping, and peripheral edema, should be clinically aware of.
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