Darbepoetin alfa (Cresp) Boosts Hemoglobin Levels in Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia (CIA): Results of Indian Analysis
Darbepoetin alfa effectively increases
hemoglobin levels and reduces blood transfusion needs among chemotherapy-induced
anemia (CIA) patients, results from the latest Indian retrospective study has revealed.
This study has been published in the January 2025 issue
of Frontiers in Oncology.
Anemia is common in cancer patients, with 39% anemic at
diagnosis and 13% developing it during treatment1.
Cresp contains Darbepoetin alfa; an Erythropoietin
Stimulating Agent of recombinant-DNA origin
This retrospective study included 523 patients with
advanced metastatic solid tumors on palliative myelosuppressive therapy treated
for CIA. These patients had a median age of 55 years; including 50.5% males and
49.5% females. At baseline, 98.5% had Hb levels between 8.0–10.0 g/dL, 1.3%
between 10.0–11.0 g/dL, and one patient had Hb <8 g/dL. Cresp 200 mcg
was administered biweekly, with the number of doses ranging from 4 to 8. The
study measured change in hemoglobin levels as
the primary outcome, and included impact on blood transfusion, anemia-related
symptoms, and occurrence of adverse events as secondary outcomes.
Key results of the study include:
Significant Improvement in Hemoglobin Levels
Patients receiving Cresp showed a mean hemoglobin
increase of 2.28 g/dL from baseline i.e. from 8.56 g/dL to 10.84 g/dL, showing
strong efficacy in anemia correction. The benefit was noted across patients
with breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynaecological, lung, head and
neck cancers; and across varied chemotherapy regimes
Reduction in Blood Transfusion Dependency
At baseline, 50 patients i.e. 9.6% of patients required
blood transfusions. After treatment with Cresp, blood transfusion was prevented
in 28 out of 50 patients (risk reduction of 56%) Overall, only 5.9% of patients required blood
transfusions during the course of treatment.
Improvement in Anemia-Related Symptoms
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) revealed a significant
reduction in fatigue and dyspnea
Safety and Tolerability
About 9.5% of patients experienced treatment-emergent
adverse events (TEAEs), with hypertension (5.4%) and deep vein
thrombosis (2.9%) being the most commonly reported.
The study revealed Cresp as an effective and safe treatment
for Chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) among Indian cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy. Treatment with Cresp significantly improved hemoglobin
levels, reduced transfusion needs, and enhanced patient well-being.
References:
1. Kanuri G, Sawhney R, Varghese J, Britto M, Shet A. Iron Deficiency Anemia Coexists with Cancer Related Anemia and Adversely Impacts Quality of Life. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 28;11(9):e0163817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163817. PMID: 27682226; PMCID: PMC5040456.
2. Chandrakanth M, Agarwala V, Sopory P, Nayak H, Parikh PM, Roy M, De R, Narayan P, Barai AT, Mandal K, Basu M, Kumar S, Uppal RS, Naqvi SMH and Desai R (2025) Cresp®: transforming the landscape of chemotherapy-induced anemia – a comprehensive retrospective real-world analysis in 523 Indian patients. Front. Oncol. 15:1418327. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1418327