Anemia :: Anemia drugs raise health risks, blood clots

Certain anemia drugs can actually raise the risk of blood clots and even death in cancer patients, revealed by researchers.

Anemia is characterized by an abnormally low number of red blood cells in the circulating blood. It frequently affects patients with cancer. In fact, in many cancer diagnoses such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia, the presence of anemia may be what initially prompts a doctor to suspect an underlying tumor (neoplasm).

Risk of death or blood clots is higher in patients who received these drugs, called epoetins, “off-label” for conditions not indicated for the treatment, said the author of a large study highlighted at the American Society of Oncology in Chicago.

The research findings showed that one’s risk of developing a blood clot if taking a certain anemia drug was 59 percent, and the risk of death was 11 percent. The drugs in question are all part of a class of drugs known as erythropoiesis stimulating agents, which are used to help cancer patients to combat chemotherapy-related anemia.

In response to recent safety concerns, the U.S. Medicare health insurance program has recently proposed providing less funding coverage for certain anemia drugs.


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