Darbepoetin alfa 60micrograms/0.3ml solution for injection pre-filled syringes
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).
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
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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Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
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
About EudraVigilance
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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 60micrograms/0.3ml solution for injection pre-filled syringes
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 NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Darbepoetin alfa
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). 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.
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
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
All patents expired, 2 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
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