Darbepoetin alfa 20micrograms/0.5ml solution for injection pre-filled disposable devices
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Human erythropoietin with 2 aa substitutions to enhance glycosylation (5 N-linked chains), 165 residues (MW=37 kD).
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Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Darbepoetin alfa
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Darbepoetin alfa
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
Part of the Aranesp brand family (generic: Darbepoetin alfa)
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Darbepoetin alfa on the MHRA register
Aranesp SureClick 20micrograms/0.5ml solution for injection pre-filled pens
This is the NHS Drug Tariff indicative price used for reimbursement purposes. It may not reflect the price paid by patients or pharmacies.
View full Drug TariffSource: NHS Drug Tariff via NHSBSA. Derived from dm+d VMPP (Virtual Medicinal Product Pack) pricing data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
4.5 microgram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(3)
Roxadustat for treating symptomatic anaemia in chronic kidney disease (TA807)
Erythropoiesis‑stimulating agents (epoetin and darbepoetin) for treating anaemia in people with cancer having chemotherapy (TA323)
Vadadustat for treating symptomatic anaemia in adults having dialysis for chronic kidney disease (TA1035)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
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Supply & safety information
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Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
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NHS UK identifiers
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 9 · Randomised trials: 31 · 2002–2025
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Jayne S. Wilson, Guiqing Yao, James Raftery, et al.
Health Technology Assessment, 2007
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Epoetin Alfa
Johan Vansteenkiste
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2002
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
Jalal K. Ghali, Inder S. Anand, William T. Abraham, et al.
Circulation, 2008
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Erythropoietin
Allen R. Nissenson, Suzanne K. Swan, Jill S. Lindberg, et al.
American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2002
- Renal Dialysis
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Epoetin Alfa
Laurent Bastit, A. Vandebroek, Sevilay Altıntaş, et al.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Antineoplastic Agents
Yves Vanrenterghem, Peter Bárány, Johannes F.E. Mann, et al.
Kidney International, 2002
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Erythropoietin
Uwe Platzbecker, Argiris Symeonidis, Esther Natalie Olíva, et al.
Leukemia, 2017
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Blood Transfusion
Paolo Pedrazzoli, A. Farris, Salvatore Del Prete, et al.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Anemia
- Antineoplastic Agents
Muhammad Faique Hassan, Muhammad Shaheer Bin Faheem, Shamikha Cheema, et al.
BMC Nephrology, 2025
- Anemia
- Hematinics
- Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
Pang S, Wang Z, Fu Y, et al.
2025
- Kidney Failure, Chronic
- Anemia
- Barbiturates
ObjectivesTo compare the efficacy and safety of daprodustat (DPD) versus darbepoetin alfa (DBPA) in patients with anemia in chronic renal failure.Materials and methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) of DPD and DBPA in anemia were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Web of Science from inception to August 1, 2023. The collected data were analyzed using Stata 15.0.ResultsFour RCTs involving 7419 patients (3717 in the DPD group and 3702 in the DBPA group) were included in the study. Meta-analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in the change in hemoglobin level [Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = 3.23, 95 % CI (-0.25, 6.70)], transferrin saturation [SMD = -0.07, 95 % CI (-0.31, 0.17)], total iron [SMD = 0.24, 95 % CI (-0.05, 0.53))], and incidence of adverse events [ RR = 1.02, 95 % CI (0.98, 1.06)] between the two groups. However, DPD was superior in lowering ferritin level [SMD = -0.05, 95 % CI (-0.10, -0.01)] and improving total iron-binding capacity [SMD = 0.57, 95 % CI (0.46, 0.68)] than DBPA.ConclusionsDPD is not inferior to DBPA in the treatment of anemia in chronic renal failure.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
Darbepoetin alfa stimulates erythropoiesis by the same mechanism as endogenous erythropoietin.
Food interactions
1 warning
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 598 interactions
progenitor stem cells to increase red cell production. Binding of erythropoietin to the erythropoietin receptor leads to receptor dimerization, which facilitates activation of JAK-STAT signaling pathways within the cytosol. Activated STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) proteins are then translocated to the nucleus where they serve as transcription factors which regulate the activation of specific genes involved in cell division or differentiation.
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:10388848 PMID:2163695 PMID:2163696 PMID:8662939 PMID:9774108
Upon EPO stimulation, EPOR dimerizes triggering the JAK2/STAT5 signaling cascade (By similarity). In some cell types, can also activate STAT1 and STAT3 .
PMID:11756159
May also activate the LYN tyrosine kinase (By similarity)
ATC B03XA02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Darbepoetin alfa
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
12550
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3416
GenAtlas
EPOR
GeneCards
EPOR
GenBank Gene Database
M60459
GenBank Protein Database
182245
Guide to Pharmacology
1718
UniProt Accession
EPOR_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q2178381), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.