conclusions there was no significant difference in the efficacy of peginterferon-alpha-2a and peginterferon-alpha-2b in iranian patients. physicians might choose the treatment regimen for every individual concerning the differences in side effects of peginterferons. background nearly 0.5% of iranians are infected with hcv. peginterferon-alpha-2a and peginterferon-alpha-2b are the two available ...

BACKGROUND Epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa are erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) indicated for the treatment of anemia in chronic renal failure, including patients on dialysis and patients not on dialysis. Clinical experience demonstrates that the dose conversion ratio (DCR) between epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa is nonproportional across the dosing spectrum. However, previous calcu...

BACKGROUND Anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often requires treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). This study investigated the therapeutic equivalence between lyophilized powder and standard liquid EPO alfa by subcutaneous (SC) administration in hemoglobin maintenance among patients on hemodialysis. METHODS This was a single-blinded, randomized, controlled, s...

A BSTRACT Background Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with cirrhosis is difficult to treat. In patients with chronic hepatitis C but without cirrhosis, once-weekly administration of interferon modified by the attachment of a 40-kd branched-chain polyethylene glycol moiety (peginterferon alfa-2a) is more efficacious than a regimen of unmodified interferon. We examined the ef...

BACKGROUND Darbepoetin alfa is an erythropoietic agent with a 3-fold longer elimination half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo), which allows less frequent dosing. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of darbepoetin alfa for treating anaemia in dialysis patients, using a dosing regimen that was independent of the patient's body weight (unit dosing). METHODS Dialysi...

BACKGROUND An independent meta-analysis of randomized comparative trials of peginterferons alfa-2a and alfa-2b, both combined with ribavirin, analyzed the probability of achieving a sustained virological response (SVR). OBJECTIVE To estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with peginterferon alfa-2a (180μg/week) plus ribavirin (800-1200mg/day...

A characteristic feature of type I allergies is the presence of allergen-specifi c immunoglobulin E (sIgE) [1,2]. Thus, the detection of sIgE, in addition to obtaining a clinical history and performing a skin prick test (SPT), is important for allergy workup. Historically, sIgE to various allergens was analyzed by radioallergosorbent test using allergen-coupled cellulose paper discs. Later on, ...

The objectives of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) administered every 2 weeks in anemic patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy. This was an open-label, randomized, active-controlled, multicenter dose-finding study evaluating a range of every-2-week darbepoetin alfa doses. The active control arm received epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) at ...

Background. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) such as epoetin alfa and beta, and darbepoetin alfa have improved the management of anaemia secondary to chronic kidney disease. Numerous studies have reported a dose reduction when patients receiving dialysis were converted from epoetin to darbepoetin alfa using the starting dose conversion of 200:1 as indicated on the prescribing label by t...

Turoctocog alfa is the first B-domain-truncated third generation recombinant coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) product. Nonclinical in vitro and animal model studies have demonstrated that turoctocog alfa has similar functional potency and hemostatic efficacy as comparator FVIII products. With respect to discrepancies in the level of FVIII concentrate in plasma of current FVIII products on compar...