Erythropoietin Therapy

Abstract

Despite impressive advances in the safety of the blood supply,¹ the search for therapeutic alternatives to blood continues.^2,3 Erythropoietin (along with iron, vitamin B₁₂, and folic acid) has been recommended as a specific medication “that should be used instead of blood transfusion if the clinical condition of the patient permits sufficient time for these agents to promote erythropoiesis.”⁴ Therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin (Epogen, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, Calif.) was first shown to correct the anemia caused by chronic renal failure in patients undergoing dialysis.⁵ Subsequently, erythropoietin (Procrit, OrthoBiotech, Raritan, N.J.) was also approved for the treatment of . . .