Efficacy of intravenous and subcutaneous darbepoetin alfa in maintaining haemoglobin levels and doses

According to a recent study, mean haemoglobin levels and mean weekly darbepoetin alfa dose did not differ significantly in the subcutaneous and the intravenous groups. The study’s findings were published in the journal, Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation.

A multicenter, prospective, randomized trial included 114 patients, who were treated with subcutaneous darbepoetin alfa for at least 6 months. These participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either continue with subcutaneous treatment of darbepoetin alfa (n=61) or were switched to the intravenous administration route (n=53). The darbepoetin dose and haemoglobin concentrations were assessed as per patient average taken at baseline i.e., Week -3 +/- 1, followed by Week 24 +/- 3 and Week 48 +/- 3.

It was observed that there were no significant changes in mean haemoglobin levels and mean weekly darbepoetin alfa dose in either of the treatment groups. From the above results, it may be concluded that darbepoetin alfa dose can be kept constant if patients are switched from subcutaneous to intravenous treatment.