Aranesp | Anemia Drug
Aranesp
(darbepoetin alfa), Epogen (epoetin alfa), and Procrit (epoetin alfa) are erythropoiesis-stimulating
agents (or ESAs) widely-prescribed for the treatment of anemia in
cancer patients, chronic kidney failure patients and HIV patients.All three drugs are manufactured by Amgen, Inc., a multi-billion dollar biotechnology corporation based in Thousand Oaks, California. ESAs were introduced over fifteen years ago and recently accounted for more than $10 billion in sales in a single year.
Serious safety concerns about ESAs began growing in 2004 and in November of 2006 the FDA issued an official Alert regarding the three drugs. The FDA warned that studies have indicated an increased risk of death, stroke, heart attack and blood clots in patients with chronic kidney failure, when higher-than-recommended doses of ESAs are taken. Other studies have shown accelerated tumor growth in head and neck cancer patients – also noted when higher doses were taken.
Even when taking ESAs at recommended doses, cancer patients who weren’t receiving chemotherapy faced an increased risk of death and patients who were observed after orthopedic surgery were at a higher risk for blood clots.
Due to the highly-prescribed nature of these three drugs, thousands of patients are at risk of the devastating and potentially-fatal side effects of ESAs. We’ve worked with many individuals and families who have been injured by dangerous drugs. If you believe ESA use has put you or someone you care about in danger, please fill out our Case Review Contact Form to the right on this page to find out what your case is worth.
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