Administering the anti-anemia drug Epogen to kidney dialysis patients by subcutaneous injections rather than intravenously could save the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the Boston Globe reports.
Epogen, which is manufactured by California-based Amgen, is administered to kidney disease patients on dialysis to replenish red blood cells. About 95% of the 325,000 U.S. residents on dialysis receive Epogen intravenously, although studies have found that about 30% less Epogen is required if the drug is injected under the skin, the Globe reports. Medicare spends close to $2 billion per year on Epogen, more than on any other drug. According to a study conducted by researchers at Detroit-based Henry Ford Hospital and published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease, administering Epogen subcutaneously rather than intravenously would save the federal government as much as $537 million annually. The study found that the annual Epogen cost per dialysis patient in 2002 was $6,000. Researchers determined that switching to subcutaneous injections would save up to 30%, or $1,761, per patient. A separate study of dialysis clinics in 2004 found that patients received 21% less Epogen when given subcutaneous injections, the Globe reports. Last year, FDA allowed Amgen to change the label on Epogen to state that intravenous delivery is preferred because of a rare disorder called pure red cell aplasia that developed in 175 patients from 1998 through 2003. Those patients received Eprex, a drug similar to Epogen that is manufactured by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. J&J said the cases likely were linked to rubber stoppers in some of its syringes and that the outbreak ended after the stoppers were replaced.
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