Darbepoetin alpha in lower-than-equimolar doses maintains haemoglobin levels in stable haemodialysis patients converting from epoetin alpha/beta

The mean darbepoetin alpha dose needed to keep Hb stable in patients previously treated with epoetin is significantly lower than the equimolar dose. Although the equimolar 1:200 conversion ratio is appropriate for lower epoetin doses (<5000 IU/week), the darbepoetin dose for patients converting from >or=5000 IU of epoetin per week is more likely to follow a 1:250 to 1:350 conversion rule. If pricing is based on the 1:200 rule such as in Switzerland, this may translate into cost savings.