American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized, controlled trial of darbepoetin alfa for the treatment of anemia in hemodialysis patients.
Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp; Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA) is a new erythropoiesis-stimulating protein with a threefold longer terminal half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, noninferiority study is to determine whether darbepoetin alfa is as effective as epoetin for the treatment of anemia in hemodialysis patients when administered at a reduced dosing frequency. ⋯ These results show that darbepoetin alfa maintains hemoglobin concentrations as effectively and safely as epoetin in patients with CKD, but with a reduced dosing frequency.