How is it used?

Before taking

While taking

Warnings

Darbepoetin alfa is used to treat anemia (a lower than normal number of red blood cells) in people with chronic kidney failure (condition in which the kidneys slowly and permanently stop working over a period of time). Darbepoetin alfa is also used to treat anemia caused by chemotherapy (medications to treat cancer). Darbepoetin alfa is in a class of medications called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). It works by causing the bone marrow (soft tissue inside the bones where blood is made) to make more red blood cells.

Pending revision, the material in this section should be considered in light of more recently available information in the MedWatch notification at the beginning of this monograph.

Darbepoetin alfa comes as a solution (liquid) to inject subcutaneously (just under the skin) or intravenously (into a vein). It is usually injected once a week every 1 to 3 weeks. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use darbepoetin alfa exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Your doctor may start you on the lowest possible dose of darbepoetin alfa and gradually increase or decrease your dose, not more than once every month. Your doctor may also tell you to stop using darbepoetin alfa for a time. Follow these instructions carefully. If your doctor tells you to stop using darbepoetin alfa, do not begin using it again until your doctor tells you that you should. It is likely that your doctor will restart your treatment with a lower dose of darbepoetin alfa than you were using.

Darbepoetin alfa is used to reduce the need for red blood cell transfusions. Darbepoetin alfa controls anemia but does not cure it. It may take 2 to 6 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of darbepoetin alfa. Continue to use darbepoetin alfa even if you feel well. Do not stop using darbepoetin alfa without talking to your doctor.

Darbepoetin alfa injections are usually given by a doctor or nurse. Your doctor may decide that you can inject darbepoetin alfa yourself, or that you may have a friend or relative give the injections. Your doctor will train the person who will be injecting the medication and will test him to be sure he can give the injection correctly. Be sure that you and the person who will be giving the injections know the correct dose, how to give the medication, and how often to give the medication. Be sure that you and the person who will be giving the injections read the manufacturer's information for the patient that comes with darbepoetin alfa before you use it for the first time at home.

Darbepoetin alfa comes in prefilled syringes and also in vials to use with disposable syringes. Use vials and prefilled or disposable syringes only once. Do not put a needle through the rubber stopper of a vial more than once. Throw away a vial, syringe, or prefilled syringe after one use, even if it is not empty. Throw away used syringes in a puncture-resistant container, out of the reach of children. Do not throw a filled container into the household trash or recycling. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to throw away the puncture-resistant container. There may be special state and local laws for throwing away used needles and syringes.

If you are using vials of darbepoetin alfa, you will need to use disposable syringes to inject your medication. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you what type of syringe you should use. Do not use any other type of syringe because you may not get the right amount of medication.

Always inject darbepoetin alfa solution in its own syringe; never mix it with any other medication.

If you are injecting darbepoetin alfa subcutaneously, you can inject it just under the skin anywhere on these parts of your body: the outer area of your upper arms, your stomach except for the 2-inch (5-centimeter) area around your navel (belly button), the front of your middle thighs, and the upper outer areas of your buttocks.

Choose a new spot each time you inject darbepoetin alfa. Do not inject darbepoetin alfa into a spot that is tender, red, bruised, hard, lumpy, or swollen.

Carefully read the manufacturer's instructions that describe how to prepare and inject a dose of darbepoetin alpha. Be sure to ask your pharmacist or doctor if you have any questions about how to prepare or inject this medication.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer's information for the patient.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

This information being provided is copyrighted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., ASHP, Bethesda, Maryland.
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