Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents

Endogenous erythropoietin is a glycoprotein hematopoietic growth factor that regulates hemoglobin levels in response to changes in the blood oxygen concentration. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs; eg, epoetin alfa, pegylated epoetin beta, darbepoetin) are produced using recombinant DNA technologies and have pharmacologic properties similar to endogenous erythropoietin. The primary clinical use of ESAs is to treat chronic anemia.