[Change of EPO treatment from subcutaneous epoetin to intravenous epoetin or darbepoetin alpha].

This prospective, two-arm, clinical trial assesses the effectiveness in maintaining the levels of haemoglobin (Hb) between 11 and 13 g/d1 and the safety of changing the administration route (from subcutaneous to intravenous) of epoetin (rHuEPO) alpha at equidose versus a changeover to darbepoetin alpha, taking the exact equivalence in peptide mass between the two as referent in patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) in haemodialysis. A total of 112 patients previously treated with epoetin and no dose modification during the 8 weeks prior to the study and stable levels of Hb were included. Of these, 92.1% finished the follow-up period (24 weeks). After changing the administration route of rHuEPO, a significant increase in the resistance index (REI, weekly dose per kilogram of weight/levels of hemoglobin) was observed with mean values of 2.73 (p < 0.018) and 4.37 (p < 0.001) after 16 and 24 weeks respectively, requiring an increase of the dose greater than 15% over the baseline in 6 1.1% of the patients. The changeover to, darbepoetin alpha, independently of the administration route, was accompanied by a decrease in REI starting in the 8th week (mean levels of 0.012, 0.018 and 0.023 after 8, 16 and 24 weeks respectively), significant (p < 0.001) at the 3 cutoff points of the study. The conversion factor increased significantly up to 1:260 in week 24. Both erythropoietic stimulating factors (EST) were well tolerated and no unexpected side effects were observed. In conclusion, treatment of anaemia with darbepoetin alpha in patients with CRI in haemodialysis previously treated with rHuEPO proved to be more effective than the use of epoetin intravenously, significantly improving the resistance index. In addition, the treatment with darbepoetin alpha was well tolerated in these patients.