Erykine Mechanism of Action

Pharmacology: Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein which stimulates red blood cell production. It is produced in the kidney and stimulates the division and differentiation of committed erythroid  progenitors in the bone marrow. Recombinant Human Erythropoietin (Epoetin Alpha), a 165 amino acid glycoprotein manufactured by recombinant DNA technology, has the same biological effects as endogenous Erythropoietin. It has a molecular weight of 30,400 daltons and is produced by mammalian cells into which the Human Erythropoietin gene has been introduced. The product contains the identical amino acid sequence of isolated natural Erythropoietin.
Within the therapeutic dose range, detectable levels of plasma Erythropoietin are maintained for at least 24 hours.
Erythropoietin has been shown to stimulate erythropoiesis in anemic patients with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), including both patients on dialysis and those who do not require regular dialysis. The first evidence of response to the three times weekly administration of Erythropoietin is an increase in the reticulocyte count within 10 days followed by increase in the red cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, usually within 2-6 weeks. Erythropoietin has been shown to increase hematocrit and decrease transfusion requirements after the first month of therapy (months 2 and 3), in anemic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Response to Erythropoietin in zidovudine-treated HIV-infected patients is manifested by reduced transfusion requirements and increased hematocrit.