Extended darbepoetin alfa dosing apparently reduced erythropoiesis stimulating agent requirement to achieve haemoglobin target

44th EDTNA/ERCA International Conference September 26–29, 2015 Dresden, Germany 105 O 62 Extended darbepoetin alfa dosing apparently reduced erythropoiesis stimulating agent requirement to achieve haemoglobin target J. Santos1, L. Amado1, V. Povera2, A. Santos-Silva3, 4, E. Costa3, 4, V. Miranda1, J. Fazendeiro Matos5 1NephroCare Maia, Fresenius Medical Care, Maia, Portugal; 2UNIFAI, Unit of Research and Training in Adults and Elderly, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 4UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 5NephroCare Portugal, Fresenius Medical Care, Porto, Portugal Background The efficacy of extended darbepoetin alfa dosing beyond once-weekly in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients has not been sufficiently explored. Objectives To evaluate efficacy of extended dosing in ESRD patients to maintain haemoglobin levels. Methods We evaluated two groups of ESRD patients: Group I with 16 patients receiving darbepoetin once a week over 12 months and group II with 16 patients receiving darbepoetin once a week during the first 6 months and extended darbepoetin doses (multiple doses: 10 or 20 doses over 6 months) over the remaining 6 months. We evaluated darbepoetin doses, total intravenous iron administration, haematological and inflammatory data, and iron metabolism. Results During the first 6 months, patients in group I required 0.5±0.3 g/kg/week darbepoetin with a total consumption of 11,520 g for all patients; patients in group II required 0.5±0.4 g/kg/week with a total consumption of 13,000 g for all patients. In the following 6 months, a small increase in the darbepoetin doses (0.6±0.2 g/kg/week) and in total darbepoetin for all patients (12782 g) was observed in group I. A significant decrease in the darbepoetin dose was observed in group II (0.35±0.2 g/kg/week) as well as in total darbepoetin consumption (8,880 g). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in haematocrit and haemoglobin concentration, iron status, inflammatory markers and iron administration doses. Conclusion/Application to practice Results showed that both dosing regimens are equivalent in terms of maintaining target haemoglobin concentration, and that an extended darbepoetin alfa dosing seems to reduce the required darbepoetin doses (when calculated and compared per week).