Cost of treating predialysis patients with recombinant human erythopoietin

Treatment of the anaemia of predialysis patients with recombinanthuman erythropoietin (rHuEpo) is likely to become a widely acceptedpractice during the coming years. We estimated the impact onhealth care expenditures with the example of the French populationof end-stage renal disease patients. Using retrospective data,we calculated the percentage of predialysis patients with advancedchronic renal failure who would be eligible for treatment accordingto two different criteria based on haemoglobin and clinicalcondition, the total duration of treatment, and the total amountof rHuEpo delivered. We estimate that the total cost of treatingFrench predialysis patients could vary between 2.2 and 6.5 millionSwiss francs, or 50 000 to 140 000 Swiss francs per millionpopulation, using rHuEpo dosage from 50 to 150 IU/kg week.