Our hospitals use both Procrit & Aranesp. The choice seems to be a matter of physician preference. The Oncology/Hematology Pharmacist & I do note that in case of a large blood loss (as oposed to chronic loss) the physicians clearly lean towards using Procrit with a more frequent dosing.

Todd

I can only speak for the pediatric population, we have used ARANESP for our oncology patients with great success.
We are currently developing guidelines for pediatrics, I would be happy to share them once they are developed.

Regards,
Amelia

Does anyone know if Aranesp has a formulation without Albumin?
Can we get Eprex without Albumin here in the US from Canada?

__________________
Elora Thorpe RN BSN
Coordinator
Blood Conservation Program
St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
Kansas City, MO. 64111
816-932-6183

According to the Aranesp rep in St. Louis, there is a formulation without albumin.

Aranesp does come without albumin however it is only available outside of the US.

__________________
Jan Graziani - LVN
Chicago, IL USA

The following is a direct quote from the current Aranesp (R) prescribing information found on the Amgen website (http://www.aranesp.com):

"DESCRIPTION
Aranesp^® is an erythropoiesis stimulating protein, closely related to erythropoietin, that is produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by recombinant DNA technology. Aranesp^® is a 165-amino acid protein that differs from recombinant human erythropoietin in containing 5 N-linked oligosaccharide chains, whereas recombinant human erythropoietin contains 3 chains¹. The two additional N-glycosylation sites result from amino acid substitutions in the erythropoietin peptide backbone. The additional carbohydrate chains increase the approximate molecular weight of the glycoprotein from 30,000 to 37,000 daltons. Aranesp^® is formulated as a sterile, colorless, preservative-free protein solution for intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) administration.


Single-dose vials are available containing 25, 40, 60, 100, 150, 200, 300, or 500 mcg of Aranesp^®.


Single-dose prefilled syringes and prefilled SureClick^™ autoinjectors are available containing 25, 40, 60, 100, 150, 200, 300, or 500 mcg of Aranesp. To reduce the risk of accidental needlesticks to users, each prefilled syringe is equipped with a needle guard that covers the needle during disposal.


Single-dose vials, prefilled syringes and autoinjectors are available in two formulations that contain excipients as follows:

	Polysorbate solution Each 1 mL contains 0.05 mg polysorbate 80, and is formulated at pH 6.2 ± 0.2 with 2.12 mg sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, 0.66 mg sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, and 8.18 mg sodium chloride in Water for Injection, USP (to 1 mL).
	Albumin solution Each 1 mL contains 2.5 mg albumin (human), and is formulated at pH 6.0 ± 0.3 with 2.23 mg sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, 0.53 mg sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, and 8.18 mg sodium chloride in Water for Injection, USP (to 1 mL)."

It would appear that, as of January 2007, the albumin-free version of Aranesp (R) is available in the United States, since this appears to be the U.S. Amgen website. There is no indication therein that its availability is limited to a specific geographic region or country.

__________________
Jan Grossberg, RN, BSN
Editorial Team

Am I missing something here? Right above your note it states that there is 2.5 mg albumin (human) So what are you trying to tell us?
Jan

__________________
Jan Graziani - LVN
Chicago, IL USA

Hi Ya'all
I have personally been in communication with AMGEN due to needing clartity on whether Aranesp is or isn't Albumin Free.
They have advised me that they actually no longer make the Albumin version and that it is FDA approved for usage in the US for the Polysorbate80 Formula , Which is now the only form they produce.
HOWEVER: There is still remaining product in circulation until used or expiraton occurs. that does contain the albumin, so you need to verify which formula is being used before administratin if you have a preferance.
You can go online to AMGENs site for additional information in PDF format. Sorry not good a the linking part.
Hope this helps.
DG

Dear Jan:
There are two different formulations listed here: the polysorbate one, listed first, and the albumin one, listed second.

__________________
Jan Grossberg, RN, BSN
Editorial Team