Kidney disease:is calcitriol as effective as zemplar for parathyroid control?

Yes: Till date, not a single medical study has shown the superiority (with respect to clinical outcomes) of any one form of active vitamin d or vitamin d analogue for treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with kidney disease. Calcitriol tends to be cheaper and often used as a "first line". It is as effective as zemplar clinically but might cause more hyperphosphatemia or hypercalcemia.