Effectiveness of Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia When Initiated at Hemoglobin ≤10 g/dL.

Effectiveness of Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia When Initiated at Hemoglobin ≤10 g/dL. Clin Ther. 2015 Dec 22; Authors: Pirker R, Hedenus M, Vansteenkiste J, Hernandez E, Belton L, Terwey JH Abstract PURPOSE: Limited data are available to describe the effectiveness of darbepoetin alfa (DA) in terms of hemoglobin (Hb) and transfusion outcomes when initiated at Hb ≤10 g/dL (the threshold specified in the summary of prescribing characteristics). We assessed DA, initiated according to current labeling (Hb ≤10 g/dL), in chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA). METHODS: Data for patients with cancer and CIA who initiated DA at Hb ≤10 g/dL were extracted from a database of Amgen-sponsored trials. A comparative analysis was limited to randomized, controlled trials in patients treated with DA or control (placebo/best supportive care). Data for the DA arm(s) of randomized, multiple-arm, or prospective, single-arm trials were also extracted (DA-only analysis; non-front-loaded studies only). Outcomes included Hb increase ≥1 g/dL or ≥2 g/dL during the first 12 weeks of treatment. Crude and Kaplan-Meier proportions of patients who experienced each outcome and time (days) to each outcome were summarized by treatment arm. Meta-analysis (fixed-effects inverse-variance method) was performed to compare outcomes for DA with control. FINDINGS: The comparative analysis included 4 studies (2 in lung cancer, 1 in lym...
Source: Clinical Therapeutics - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Clin Ther Source Type: research