Maintenance therapy on the anemia in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients using subcutaneous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin fortnightly--a multicenter trial

Eighty-seven CAPD patients whose hematocrit (Ht) level was maintained by recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) were enrolled in this trial for a new formulation of rHuEPO suitable for subcutaneous injection. 6000IU rHuEPO was administered every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. Fortnightly doses were increased to 9000IU or 12000IU at 4 or 6 weeks if the Ht level decreased by 2% or more. During the study period, Ht values were maintained at the appropriate level in 88% of patients. 6000IU or lower was selected as a maintenance dose given every 2 weeks in 57 (76.0%) patients, 9000IU was selected in 8 patients and 12000IU was chosen in one patient. In 9 patients, the Ht could not be maintained during the study and the appropriate dose, therefore, remained unclear. Hypertension was observed in 2 patients as a side effect, and headache occurred in 2 other patients during the trial. Cutaneous abnormalities were not observed in the course of the subcutaneous injections. We conclude that anemia in most CAPD patients could be controlled with fortnightly injections in the dose range of 6000 to 12000IU rHuEPO given subcutaneously.