BACKGROUND Current treatments for chronic hepatitis B are suboptimal. In the search for improved therapies, we compared the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon alfa plus lamivudine, pegylated interferon alfa without lamivudine, and lamivudine alone for the treatment of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B. METHODS A total of 814 patients with HBeAg-positive chron...

Background: Darbepoetin alfa is an erythopoietic agent with a 3-fold longer elimination half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), which allows less frequent dosing, and hence it maintains an effective hemoglobin control at extended dose intervals compared with rHuEPO. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of unit doses of darbepoetin alfa for the treatment of renal anemia ...

BACKGROUND More strokes were observed in the Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events With Aranesp Therapy (TREAT) among patients assigned to darbepoetin alfa. We sought to identify baseline characteristics and postrandomization factors that might explain this association. METHODS AND RESULTS A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify baseline predictors of stroke in 4038 pati...

PURPOSE The safety and efficacy of extended-dosage-interval regimens of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) for managing chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) are reviewed. SUMMARY Anemia is a frequent complication of chemotherapy. The ESAs epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa have been shown to safely and effectively manage CIA; comparable outcomes have been demonstrated between epoetin alfa 4...

The present study offers a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles using corifollitropin alfa for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in comparison with daily recombinant FSH (rFSH). The study examined seven RCTs including 2138 patients receiving corifollitropin alfa and 1788 women receiving daily rFSH for CO...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To review the effects on hemoglobin and quality of life of an every-two-week (Q2W) regimen of the erythropoietic agent darbepoetin alfa for treating patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia. DATA SOURCES Published articles and abstracts. DATA SYNTHESIS Darbepoetin alfa Q2W increases hemoglobin in patients with chemotherapy-associated anemia and is well tolerated. Increas...

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C affects approximately 170 million people worldwide, and thus being one of the main causes of chronic liver disease. About 20% of patients with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis over 20 years, and present an increased risk of developing hepatic complications. Sustained virological response (SVR) is associated with a better prognosis compared to untreated p...

BACKGROUND Vatreptacog alfa, a recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) analog with three amino acid substitutions and 99% identity to native FVIIa, was developed to improve the treatment of hemophilic patients with inhibitors. OBJECTIVES To confirm the safety and assess the efficacy of vatreptacog alfa in treating bleeding episodes in hemophilic patients with inhibitors. PATIENTS AND METHODS In th...

BACKGROUND Darbepoetin alfa, a glycoprotein that stimulates erythropoiesis by the same mechanism as endogenous erythropoietin, has a 3-fold longer terminal half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin, allowing for an extended dosing interval. Darbepoetin alfa is currently recommended for once-weekly and once every 2 weeks administration in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). The obje...

BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition is a valid therapeutic approach in renal cell carcinoma. Therefore, an investigation of the combination treatment of the humanised anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab with interferon alfa was warranted. METHODS In a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase III trial, 649 patients with previously untreated metastatic ren...