Amgen highlights anaemia treatment benefits

Amgen has highlighted the benefits offered by its new delivery system treatment for anaemia associated with chemotherapy and chronic kidney disease.

The pre-filled SureClick Autoinjector utilises the drug Aranesp and offers patients a “secure and simple” way to administer treatment, the company said.

Amgen claims that the Aranesp injector has unique safety features, while “most oncology nurses agreed that the device was easy to use”.

Furthermore, the SureClick Autoinjector could be able to reduce the amount of contaminated needle-related incidents suffered by healthcare professionals, affecting one in healthcare staff each year, according to recent estimates.

William Dere, senior vice president for global development and Amgen’s chief medical officer, remarked: “The added safety features of the SureClick autoinjector minimise potential needlestick injuries, offering dependable benefits for nurses, oncologists and nephrologists who administer Aranesp in clinics and hospitals.”

He added that the autoinjector provides a “complete subcutaneous injection” in a single use.

The comments come as the product was launched in the US following a successful European roll-out. Patients in the UK have been using the SureClick Autoinjector since 2005 and Amgen estimates that approximately 500,000 patients have used the device.

Additionally, more than 1.7 million chronic kidney disease and anaemia patients have received Aranesp therapy. It is the only erythropoiesis-stimulating protein approved weekly and three-weekly doses.

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