NDT Advance Access originally published online on March 15, 2005
Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 2005 20(5):936-944; doi:10.1093/ndt/gfh761
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The efficacy and safety of once-weekly and once-fortnightly subcutaneous epoetin ß in peritoneal dialysis patients with chronic renal anaemia
1 Silesian Medical University School, Nephrology Clinic, Zabrze, Poland, 2 Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Department of Nephrology, Krakow, Poland, 3 Medical University School, Nephrology Clinic, Gdansk, Poland, 4 Maggiore Hospital, Nephrology Division, Milan, Italy, 5 Desio Hospital, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Desio, Italy, 6 Association Altir, CHU Brabois, Vandoeuvre-de-Nancy, France, 7 Hospital de la Paz, Nephrology Service, Madrid, Spain and 8 University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Nephrology Department, Alexandroupolis, Greece
Correspondence and offprint requests to: Prof. Wladyslaw Grzeszczak, Silesian School of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Diabetology and Nephrology, 3-Maja 13/15 str, Zabrze 41-800, Poland. Email: wgrzeszczak{at}slam.katowice.pl
Background. Reducing the dosage frequency of subcutaneous epoetin in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is convenient and should improve patient satisfaction and, possibly, compliance. We investigated if a weekly dosage of epoetin ß in PD patients safely maintained haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations equivalent to those obtained with previous twice- or thrice-weekly administration. In addition, we investigated if a fortnightly dosage of epoetin ß was safe and as effective as previous weekly administration.
Methods. After a 4 week run-in period, PD patients were switched to either weekly or fortnightly epoetin ß administration, depending on their previous treatment schedules, for 25 weeks.
Results. The per-protocol cohort included 128 patients, of whom 54 received epoetin ß once weekly and 74 once fortnightly. The mean change in Hb concentration from baseline over weeks 13–25 and the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) remained within the target range (10–12 g/dl) and specified equivalence (±0.75 g/dl) limits in the weekly (–0.34 g/dl; 90% CI: –0.14 to –0.54 g/dl) and fortnightly (–0.39 g/dl; 90% CI: –0.24 to –0.55 g/dl) cohorts. The mean change from baseline in the epoetin ß dose was 1.4 IU/kg/week (90% CI: –3.8 to 6.6 IU/kg/week; 2%) in the weekly cohort and 4.4 IU/kg/week (90% CI: 1.7–7.2 IU/kg/week; 13%) in the fortnightly cohort. Both treatment regimens were well tolerated.
Conclusions. In stable PD patients switched from twice- or thrice-weekly to weekly epoetin ß treatment, Hb concentrations could be maintained within the specified range over 25 weeks without significant change in their mean epoetin ß doses. In patients switched from weekly to fortnightly treatment, Hb concentrations could also be maintained over 25 weeks. There was a small increase in the mean dose during this period, but 
50% of patients could be maintained without dose increase. Reducing dosage frequency may improve compliance in PD patients who self-administer their epoetin.
Keywords: dosage; epoetin beta; peritoneal dialysis; renal anaemia; subcutaneous
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