A panel of kidney disease experts are calling for less-aggressive treatment of patients in a move that could hurt sales of blockbuster anemia drugs that have recently come under immense scrutiny over safety concerns.

The National Kidney Foundation’s working group on kidney disease outcomes now believes hemoglobin levels should be kept in a range of 11 to 12 grams per decaliter, compared with a previous range of 11 to 13 gm/dl. There’s been controversy that some dialisys centers were treating patients too aggressively because they get paid for administering higher doses.

The change could hurt sales of Amgen key anemia drugs, Aranesp and Epogen, which brought in $6.6 billion in 2006, and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit, which saw $3.2 billion in sales, although some analysts say that drug has become a less-critical product for the company.

The injectable drugs - man-made versions of a natural protein that boost production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells - are approved for use against anemia in people with chronic kidney failure and in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Last month, the FDA sought Black Box warnings on the labels after studies linked high doses to an increased risk of death, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks in some patients. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, may lower reimbursement.

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The New York Times (registration required).[tags]Amgen, Aranesp, Epogen, Johnson & Johnson, National Kidney Foundation, Procrit[/tags]