The Cancer Letter reports:
Internal FDA documents show that the agency made a series of unsuccessful attempts to stop a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign that claimed that Johnson & Johnson’s erythropoiesis-stimulating agent Procrit (epoetin alfa) improved “fatigue” associated with chemotherapy-induced anemia.Posted by schwitz at May 12, 2008 08:52 AM | TrackBackThe advertising campaign, which is widely credited with making ESAs into the biggest-selling class of oncology drugs, was allowed to proceed with relatively minor changes after the FDA Office of Chief Counsel became involved in the controversy.
My Mother was prescribed a similar drug, Aranesp, by her oncologist for anemia even though she had finished chemo over four years earlier and had no signs of cancer. She died of a pulmonary embolism at age 70 within days of beginning the Aranesp, in Novemer 2006. I have since learned that use of ESA's by non-chemo patients is "off label" but was very common. Soon after her death, the news reports about the dangers of ESA's began. My family and I are all heart-broken over what we view as a needless death. I believe the FDA has dropped the ball.
Posted by: Penny at May 12, 2008 11:59 AM