Empirical methods to calculate an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent dose conversion ratio in nondialyzed patients with chronic kidney disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa are erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) indicated for the treatment of anemia in chronic renal failure, including patients on dialysis and patients not on dialysis. Clinical experience demonstrates that the dose conversion ratio (DCR) between epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa is nonproportional across the dosing spectrum. However, previous calculations of the dose relationship between epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa, described in previous work as the "dose ratio" (DR), (a) used cross-sectional designs (i.e., compared mean doses for patient groups using each ESA) and were therefore vulnerable to confounding or (b) did not adjust for the nonproportional dose relationship. DRs reported in the literature range from 217:1 to 287:1 epoe

SUBMITTER: Horowitz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10437663 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature