Once weekly low dose subcutaneous erythropoietin : an economic solution for the management of anemia of end-stage renal disease

Abstract EN

Forty patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis were categorized into three groups depending upon the route of administration of erythropoietin (EPO).

Eighteen of these patients received i.v.

EPO (group A), 11 were switched from i.v.

to s.c.

route (group B), and 11 other patients were started on s.c.

EPO from the beginning of treatment (group C).

They were studied to evaluate the efficacy of EPO and its dosage.

The target hemoglobin was decided to be between 9 and 10.5 g/L.

The hemogram of all these patients showed considerable improvement after EPO treatment.

Mean hemoglobin level increased from 7.0 ± 1.0 in all the groups to 9.0 + 1.0, 9.1 ± 0.9 and 9.0 + 0.9 g/dl in groups A,B, and C respectively.

Mean dose of EPO to achieve target hemoglobin was 120 ± 42.2, 42.6 + 16.2 and 36.6 + 11.1 U/Kg/week in groups A, B, and C respectively.

Our observation illustrates that once weekly s.c.

EPO is equally effective as i.v.

EPO albeit at reduced dose and hence saving costs substantially without compromising patient care.

Also, it maintains hemoglobin in target range in patients already stabilized on i.v.

EPO.