Is Darbepoetin better than Erythropoietin?
Darbepoetin is a synthetic hormone meant as an improvement over the natural hormone, erythropoietin. The synthetic version lasts longer and is less antigenic (less likely to create any erythropoietin antibodies). Cost is similar to erythropoietin and since most veterinarians have experience with erythropoietin, this is what tends to be prescribed. Furthermore, dosing for animals is still being worked out though there are some guidelines based on human conversions between darbepoetin and erythropoietin. It appears that the changes made in the amino acid sequence have made darbepoetin less likely to generate anti-erythropoietin antibodies but in a patient that is already having a problem with antibodies, darbepoetin is close enough to EPO to be inactivated as well. Read more information on Erythropoietin. Bleeding The calcium-phosphorus imbalance that goes with renal disease is reviewed elsewhere but the bottom line is that the excess blood phosphorus that results in renal insufficiency