Posted by Buck Daniel
February 25, 2013 – On February 23rd, Affymax and Takeda instituted a recall of OMONTYS following serious adverse reactions, including life threatening and fatal events. Omontys is used to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease for patients on dialysis. Anemia, in which the body is unable to produce enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the body’s organs, is often found in kidney dialysis patients. The condition causes fatigue and sometimes heart attacks.
Omontys was produced as an alternative to Epogen, which has been a staple of kidney-dialysis treatment since 1989. However, despite having knowledge that the safety endpoint of cardiovascular events and death was worse for Omontys than for its alternative Affymax kept Omontys on the market. It was further proven, through two randomized controlled trials published in 2013, that Omontys was no more effective than its alternative despite having far greater risks.
About five patients were reported to have died after receiving Omontys, according to the figures provided by Affymax, and around 17 had severe allergic reactions requiring immediate medical help and, in some cases, hospitalization. The reactions could occur within 30 minutes of the first dose.
