[e-drug] Safety of anaemia drug erythropoietin is to be reviewed

["Pal, Shanthi N." <pals@who.int>]

E-DRUG: Safety of anaemia drug erythropoietin is to be reviewed
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Dear Colleagues,

The following item published in the latest issue (online version) of the
BMJ might be of interest. I have copied the first 150 words of the
article (available through free access). 

Best wishes,

Shanthi Pal
Quality Assurance and Safety: Medicines
WHO
Geneva
"Pal, Shanthi N." <pals@who.int> 


BMJ 2007;334:495 (10 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39146.387789.DB 

News

Safety of anaemia drug erythropoietin is to be reviewed
Jeanne Lenzer 
Boston 
	
Concerns about the safety of a class of drugs used to treat anaemia have
triggered a federal alert in the United States. The alert comes after
recent studies reported a higher incidence of fatal cancers and
cardiovascular events among patients who were treated with drugs known
as erythropoiesis stimulating agents when the drugs were used to raise
haemoglobin concentrations to more than 120 g/l. 

The US Food and Drug Administration issued the alert on 16 February,
urging doctors "not to [give doses] to exceed haemoglobin levels of 12
g/dl" when treating patients with anaemia resulting from chronic renal
failure, cancer or cancer chemotherapy, or HIV or AIDS. 

The agency has scheduled an advisory committee meeting for 10 May to
assess the risks of the drugs, which include epoetin alfa (made by Ortho
Biotech and sold in the US under the brand name Procrit and also by
Amgen under the brand . . . 
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The full article is available at
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/334/7592/495-b (to those with access
rights).