Report: FDA to investigate safety of anemia drugs
ROCKVILLE, Md. The Food and Drug Administration plans to review three drugs designed to treat anemia, according to published reports.
The announcement followed a clinical trial that suggested that anemia drugs may cause strokes if taken in high doses, the New York Times reported.
The FDA said it would review drugs made by Amgen and Johnson & Johnson. Amgen's anemia drugs include Epogen and Aranesp. Johnson & Johnson sells Procrit, which is manufactured by Amgen. In August, Amgen reported lackluster results of clinical trials reviewing the efficacy of Aranesp.
Since 2007, the FDA has held three advisory panel meetings on these drugs, and has changed the labels of the drugs to warn of risks and lower the doses used.