Epogen Dosing for Dialysis Patients with Anemia

Critical Pre-Treatment and Monitoring Requirements

• Evaluate and correct iron deficiency before initiating Epogen, and rule out other causes of anemia, such as blood loss, infection, inflammation, aluminum toxicity, folate/B12 deficiency, and hemolysis, as iron deficiency is a common cause of ESA hyporesponsiveness, according to the National Kidney Foundation 1, 2.
• Most dialysis patients require concurrent IV iron therapy to optimize ESA response and minimize required Epogen doses, as recommended by the American Society of Nephrology 1, 5.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not use cancer-patient dosing regimens for dialysis patients, as these are different populations with different approved dosing, as stated by the American Society of Clinical Oncology 3, 4.