Comments on: FDA Probes Anemia Meds & Deaths In Study http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/09/fda-probes-anemia-meds-deaths-in-stroke-study/ News, Comment and Conversation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:38:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Gregory D. Pawelski http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/09/fda-probes-anemia-meds-deaths-in-stroke-study/#comment-377400 Gregory D. Pawelski Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:22:59 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/?p=15972#comment-377400 One European doctor thought it would be a good idea to give stroke victims a drug called Eprex (containing recombinant epoetin alfa - EPO) that stimulated red blood production. He got funding for a study of this "off-label" use. Not surprising, more patients who took Eprex got strokes and died compared to the group that got a placebo. Given everything that is now known about how EPO drugs increase cardiovascular complications and deaths in cancer and dialysis patients, what possible scientific theory could this investigator have given to justify this trial? Pharmaceutical EPO makes sludgy blood. When normal people take pharmaceutical EPO, their blood gets too "thick" and they can die of heart attacks and strokes. Why would anyone give pharmaceutical EPO to a stroke victim? Eprex was also associated with cases of pure red blood cell aplasia, including deaths, in Europe with the product inducing EPO antibodies, resulting in patients wiping out their own red blood cells. One European doctor thought it would be a good idea to give stroke victims a drug called Eprex (containing recombinant epoetin alfa - EPO) that stimulated red blood production. He got funding for a study of this “off-label” use. Not surprising, more patients who took Eprex got strokes and died compared to the group that got a placebo.

Given everything that is now known about how EPO drugs increase cardiovascular complications and deaths in cancer and dialysis patients, what possible scientific theory could this investigator have given to justify this trial?

Pharmaceutical EPO makes sludgy blood. When normal people take pharmaceutical EPO, their blood gets too “thick” and they can die of heart attacks and strokes. Why would anyone give pharmaceutical EPO to a stroke victim?

Eprex was also associated with cases of pure red blood cell aplasia, including deaths, in Europe with the product inducing EPO antibodies, resulting in patients wiping out their own red blood cells.

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