On Friday, the FDA called for heightened warnings on the blockbuster Anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit. The drugs have been found to increase the risk of severe health conditions that have to do with the kidneys and cancer, and could even result in death. Patients who received higher than the recommended dose showed a substantial increase in the risk of aquiring blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, and death. Results also indicated that higher doses spurred more rapid growth of tumors in patients that had neck and head cancer. HealthDay News reports, “The drugs included in the new safety update are darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) and epoetin alfa (Epogen and Procrit). These drugs are genetically engineered versions of a natural protein, erythropoietin, that increases the number of red blood cells to combat anemia. Anemia is a common side effect with certain forms of kidney disease, especially for patients undergoing dialysis, and for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The FDA has stated that the new warnings tell doctors to monitor the patients red blood cells and to adjust the dosage of these medications in correlation with their count. The new warning will state that when that when a patients red blood cell count is greater than 12 grams per deciliter, the patients chances of death, blood clots, and serious cardiovascular events increase dramatically. According to the New York Times, “Almost one million Americans take one of the drugs, which are mostly used to treat anemia caused by kidney failure or chemotherapy. The drugs are darbepoetin alfa, sold as Aranesp by Amgen, and epoetin alfa, sold as Epogen by Amgen and as Procrit by Johnson & Johnson. For more information on ordering from an online foreign pharmacy.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Cathlene Martinez
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