Starting dose:

• Adult: Usually 50 to 100 lU/kg three times in a week (TIW) by IV or Subcutaneous route.
• Pediatric: 50 lU/kg TIW by IV or Subcutaneous route.

Dose adjustment: Dose should be increased if hematocrit doses not increase by 5 to 6 points after 8 weeks therapy, and hematocrit is below suggested target range. Dose should be reduced when hematocrit approaches 36% or hematocrit increases >4 points in any 2-week period.

Maintenance dose: Maintenance dose must be individualized for each patient. In patients undergoing dialysis, the median maintenance dose is 75 lU/kg TIW, with a range from 12.5 to 525 lU/kg TIW as directed by the physician. In CRF patients not on dialysis, maintenance dose is 75 to 150 lU/kg/week.

Treatment of Anemia in Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy:

Starting dose:

• Adult: 150 lU/kg TIW by Subcutaneous route or 40,000 IU Subcutaneous route weekly.
• Pediatric: 25 to 300 lU/kg 3 to 7 times per week by Subcutaneous or IV route.

Dose adjustment: If the response is not satisfactory, the dose should be increased to 300 lU/kg TIW. If the hematocrit exceeds 40%, the dose should be withheld until the hematocrit falls to 36%.The dose should be reduced to 25% when treatment is resumed and titrated to maintain the desired hematocrit.

Surgery Patients: The recommended dose is 300 lU/kg/day subcutaneously for 10 days before surgery, on the day of surgery, and for 4 days after surgery. An alternate dose schedule is 600 lU/kg subcutaneously in once weekly dose (21, 14, and 7 days before surgery) plus a fourth dose on the day of surgery.

Zidovudine-treated HIV-infected Patients:
Starting dose

• Adult: 100 lU/kg as an IV or Subcutaneous injection TIW for 8 weeks.
• Pediatric: 50 to 400 lU/kg 2 to 3 times per week by Subcutaneous or IV route.

Dose adjustment: If the response is not satisfactory, the dose should be increased by 50-1001U/kg TIW. Response should be evaluated every 4 to 8 weeks thereafter and the dose adjusted accordingly by 50 to 100 lU/kg increments TIW.

Maintenance dose: The dose is titrated to maintain the hematocrit between 33-36%.