Hospira's Retacrit maintains Hb as well as Erypo

World injectable generics giant Hospira's Retacrit (epoetin zeta) is as effective as Janssen-Cilag's Erypo (epoetin alfa) in achieving and maintaining hemoglobin levels in end-stage renal failure patients with diabetic nephropathy, according to results from an analysis of two pivotal Phase III studies presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, in Rome, Italy.

The correction phase assessment included 27 patients with diabetic nephropathy who were receiving Retacrit during the last four weeks of treatment, and the maintenance phase involved 37 diabetic nephropathy patients. These show that Retacrit restored and maintained Hb levels within the acceptance ranges for both the diabetic nephropathy and the entire hemodialysis patient populations (the 95% CI was within the