Epoetin Pharmacology

Epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) is an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent that can be used for various types of anemia.



ESA's like epoetin carry a boxed warning as they increase the risk of cardiovascular events like MI, stroke, and blood clots.



Assessing iron stores is critical when epoetin is used to ensure that a non-response is not due to deficiency.



I discuss dosing adjustments of epoetin in the podcast. One must be careful about raising hemoglobin too quickly.