Drug woes.Drug Woes: Amgen Inc. was hit with more bad news regarding its blockbuster anemia anemia (ənē`mēə), condition in which the concentration of hemoglobin in the circulating blood is below normal. Such a condition is caused by a deficient number of erythrocytes (red blood cells), an abnormally low level of hemoglobin drugs after a study showed that Aranesp and Epogen, a class of anemia drugs called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, commonly abbreviated ESA, an agent similar to the that stimulates red blood cell production (erythropoeisis). ESAs, structurally and biologically, are similar to naturally occuring protein erythropoietin. , increase the risk of blood clots Blood Clots Definition A blood clot is a thickened mass in the blood formed by tiny substances called platelets. Clots form to stop bleeding, such as at the site of cut. and death in cancer patients. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. JAMA is the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. , found patients had their risk of death increased by 10 percent while using the drug and also had the risk of developing blood clots in the leg and lungs increased by 57 percent. Last month, Amgen reported in its fourth quarter earnings that sales of Aranesp slumped 12 percent during 2007 to $3.61 billion while sales of Epogen dropped 1 percent to $2.49 billion. |
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