Epoetin beta explained

Epoetin beta (INN), sold under the brand name Neorecormon among others, is a synthetic, recombinant^[1] form of erythropoietin, a protein that promotes the production of red blood cells. It is an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) that is used to treat anemia, commonly associated with chronic kidney failure and cancer chemotherapy.

It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[2]

Chemistry

Epoetin beta is a recombinant form of human erythropoietin which is produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells. It has the same protein sequence as natural human erythropoietin, being composed of 165 amino acids with about 30 KDa molecular weight.^[3]

History

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone produced in the kidneys. The existence of this hormone has been known since 1906, when scientists first started isolating it, and since the 1980s, a recombinant version of the hormone has been available for use in medical treatment.

See also

• Epoetin alfa
• Epoetin theta

Further reading

• Web site: Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESA) . Jenkins JK . 2007-06-26 . U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . https://web.archive.org/web/20100305163010/https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm110908.htm . 5 March 2010 . dead .

External links

• Web site: Epoetin beta . U.S. National Library of Medicine . Drug Information Portal .

Notes and References

1. Dunn CJ, Markham A . Epoetin beta. A review of its pharmacological properties and clinical use in the management of anaemia associated with chronic renal failure . Drugs . 51 . 2 . 299–318 . February 1996 . 8808169 . 10.2165/00003495-199651020-00008 . 46985336 .
2. Book: ((World Health Organization)) . World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021) . 2021 . 10665/345533 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . Geneva . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02 . free .
3. [Medsafe]