What is the recommended dose of darbepoietin?
Darbepoetin alfa is an analog of human EPO, with two extra carbohydrate side chains and a longer duration of action when compared with both native and recombinant hormone.
The recommended starting dose for darbepoetin alfa is 0.45 mcg/kg administered weekly or 0.75 mcg/kg administered biweekly in dialysis and patients with CKD for both IV and subcutaneous administration, with subsequent titration based on the Hb concentration.
Success with longer dosing intervals for both epoetin and darbepoetin has been reported.
