Arch Intern Med
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Recombinant human erythropoietin treatment: investigational new drug protocol for the anemia of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Overall results.
Anemia associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection may be due to reduced erythropoiesis related to the disease itself or to concomitant medications (eg, zidovudine). Clinical studies have shown recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) to be effective in correcting the anemia of zidovudine-treated patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus with baseline serum erythropoietin levels of 500 U/L or less. A treatment investigational new drug protocol that provided r-HuEPO to 1943 anemic patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was studied. ⋯ In a study population of 1943 anemic patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome treated with r-HuEPO, the hematocrit increased and blood transfusion requirements decreased. Therapy with r-HuEPO was well tolerated.