Darbepoetin alfa (Cresp) Boosts Hemoglobin Levels in Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia (CIA): Results of Indian Analysis

Darbepoetin alfa effectively increases hemoglobin levels and reduces blood transfusion needs among chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) patients, results from the latest Indian retrospective study has revealed.

This study has been published in the January 2025 issue of Frontiers in Oncology.

Anemia is common in cancer patients, with 39% anemic at diagnosis and 13% developing it during treatment¹.

Cresp contains Darbepoetin alfa; an Erythropoietin Stimulating Agent of recombinant-DNA origin

This retrospective study included 523 patients with advanced metastatic solid tumors on palliative myelosuppressive therapy treated for CIA. These patients had a median age of 55 years; including 50.5% males and 49.5% females. At baseline, 98.5% had Hb levels between 8.0–10.0 g/dL, 1.3% between 10.0–11.0 g/dL, and one patient had Hb <8 g/dL. Cresp 200 mcg was administered biweekly, with the number of doses ranging from 4 to 8. The study measured change in hemoglobin levels as the primary outcome, and included impact on blood transfusion, anemia-related symptoms, and occurrence of adverse events as secondary outcomes.

Key results of the study include:

Significant Improvement in Hemoglobin Levels

Patients receiving Cresp showed a mean hemoglobin increase of 2.28 g/dL from baseline i.e. from 8.56 g/dL to 10.84 g/dL, showing strong efficacy in anemia correction. The benefit was noted across patients with breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynaecological, lung, head and neck cancers; and across varied chemotherapy regimes

Reduction in Blood Transfusion Dependency

At baseline, 50 patients i.e. 9.6% of patients required blood transfusions. After treatment with Cresp, blood transfusion was prevented in 28 out of 50 patients (risk reduction of 56%) Overall, only 5.9% of patients required blood transfusions during the course of treatment.

Improvement in Anemia-Related Symptoms

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) revealed a significant reduction in fatigue and dyspnea

Safety and Tolerability

About 9.5% of patients experienced treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), with hypertension (5.4%) and deep vein thrombosis (2.9%) being the most commonly reported.

The study revealed Cresp as an effective and safe treatment for Chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) among Indian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Treatment with Cresp significantly improved hemoglobin levels, reduced transfusion needs, and enhanced patient well-being.

References:

1. Kanuri G, Sawhney R, Varghese J, Britto M, Shet A. Iron Deficiency Anemia Coexists with Cancer Related Anemia and Adversely Impacts Quality of Life. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 28;11(9):e0163817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163817. PMID: 27682226; PMCID: PMC5040456.

2. Chandrakanth M, Agarwala V, Sopory P, Nayak H, Parikh PM, Roy M, De R, Narayan P, Barai AT, Mandal K, Basu M, Kumar S, Uppal RS, Naqvi SMH and Desai R (2025) Cresp®: transforming the landscape of chemotherapy-induced anemia – a comprehensive retrospective real-world analysis in 523 Indian patients. Front. Oncol. 15:1418327. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1418327