FDA Gives Calls for Heightened Warnings on Anemia Drugs

On Friday, the FDA called for heightened warnings on the blockbuster Anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit. The drugs have been found to increase the risk of severe health conditions that have to do with the kidneys and cancer, and could even result in death. Patients who received higher than the recommended dose showed a substantial increase in the risk of aquiring blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, and death. Results also indicated that higher doses spurred more rapid growth of tumors in patients that had neck and head cancer. HealthDay News reports, “The drugs included in the new safety update are darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) and epoetin alfa (Epogen and Procrit). These drugs are genetically engineered versions of a natural protein, erythropoietin, that incre View the rest of this article