Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of once-monthly darbepoetin alfa in maintaining hemoglobin (Hb) levels between 10 and 12 g/dL in older subjects receiving darbepoetin alfa every 2 weeks.
Design: A secondary analysis of a 29-week multicenter, open-label, single-arm study with an initial 2-week screening/baseline period, followed by a 20-week once-monthly darbepoetin alfa dose titration period and an 8-week evaluation period.
Setting: Twenty treatment centers in the United States.
Objective: The aim of this multicenter, randomized, open-label study was to compare the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of darbepoetin alfa, a new erythropoiesis-stimulating protein, and recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) after repeated intravenous dosing in patients with chronic kidney disease receiving hemodialysis.
Methods: Forty-seven patients were randomized to receive darbepoetin alfa administered once weekly (n = 17) or 3 times weekly (n = 15) or epoetin administered 3 times weekly (n = 15) for up to 52 weeks. Pharmacokinetic profiles were measured during weeks 1 and 12 and at hemoglobin steady state (defined as a hemoglobin concentration within the target range for 4 consecutive weeks after week 12 with no change in study drug dose) or between weeks 36 and 40, whichever occurred first.