Epoetin alfa

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ONC-002923",
  "term": "Epoetin alfa",
  "field": "Oncology and biomedicine",
  "definitions": [
    "A drug used to treat anemia caused by chronic kidney disease, some types of chemotherapy, and an antiviral drug for HIV infection called zidovudine. It is also used to lower the number of donor blood transfusions needed during and after certain types of surgery. Epoetin alfa is a form of erythropoietin (a substance naturally made by the kidneys) that is made in the laboratory. It helps the bone marrow make more red blood cells. Epoetin alfa is a type of antianemic and a type of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. Also called Epogen, Procrit, and Retacrit.",
    "A recombinant therapeutic agent which is chemically identical to or similar to the endogenous cytokine human erythropoietin (EPO). Produced primarily by cells of the peritubular capillary endothelium of the kidney in response to hypoxia, circulating EPO binds to EPO receptors on the surface of committed erythroid progenitors in the bone marrow resulting in their replication and maturation into functional erythrocytes."
  ],
  "abbreviation": "EPO",
  "synonyms": [
    "Epogen",
    "Procrit",
    "Retacrit",
    "erythropoietin",
    "r-HuEPO"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms",
    "National Cancer Institute Thesaurus"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oncology/epoetin-alfa/"
}