List of products in the National Drug Code with proprietary name . Lanthanum is used to lower high blood phosphate levels in people who are on dialysis due to severe kidney disease. Dialysis removes some phosphate from your blood, but it is difficult to remove enough to keep your phosphate levels balanced. Decreasing blood phosphate levels can help keep your bones strong, prevent unsafe buildup of minerals in your body, and may decrease the risk of heart disease and strokes that can result from high phosphate levels. Lanthanum is a natural mineral that works by binding to phosphate in the foods you eat. The phosphate then passes out of your body in your stool.