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| BRIEF COMMUNICATION |
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| Year : 2015 |
Volume
: 26 | Issue : 1 | Page
: 78-82 |
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Therapeutic efficacy of a biosimilar epoetin alfa in hemodialysis patients
Amel Harzallah1, Karim Zouaghi2, Afef Dridi3, Karima Boubaker1, Soumaya Beji2, Mohamed Ayari4, Fethi El Younsi1, Fatma Ben Moussa2, Adel Kheder1
1 Department of Internal Medicine A, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
2 Department of Nephrology, Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
3 Dialysis Unity of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia
4 Dialysis Unity of Rades Foret, Ben Arous, Tunisia
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Amel Harzallah
Department of Internal Medicine A, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis
Tunisia
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DOI: 10.4103/1319-2442.148744 PMID: 25579720 
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Anemia is a frequent complication in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, human recombinant erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) has revolutionized the management of anemia in chronically dialyzed patients. Epomax ® is a new rHu-EPO alfa manufactured in Tunisia (Medis Laboratories). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of Epomax ® in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients in a phase-III, multicenter, clinical trial. Fiftythree HD patients (mean age 47.7 ± 13 years) who received a stable dose of rHu-EPO (Hemax ® , a rHu-EPO alfa manufactured by Biosidus Laboratories) subcutaneously were switched to Epomax ® via the same route of administration. At baseline, the mean systolic pressure was 132 ± 18 mm Hg and the mean diastolic pressure was 79 ± 8 mm Hg. The mean blood hemoglobin was 10.2 g/dL and the median ferritin level was 667 ng/mL. After a follow-up of 43 days, the mean blood hemoglobin was 10.5 g/dL under the effect of Epomax ® . There was no significant difference in the mean hemoglobin levels between the treatments with both drugs. Few adverse events were reported during the study. We conclude that Epomax ® was effective at maintaining the hemoglobin levels at target concentrations and was well tolerated in HD patients. |
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