Procrit | Anemia
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.
