Doctors prescribing anemia drugs for patients with kidney disease and cancer were urged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday to carefully dispense of these drugs due to an increased risk of death and other serious problems, such as blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks in patients with chronic kidney failure and rapid tumor growth in patients with head and neck cancer who receive doses higher than recommended.

The potentially harmful drugs, sold under than brand names Procrit, Epogen, and Aranesp, are genetically engineered versions of a natural protein, called erythropoietin that increases the number of red blood cells. The drugs, with combined 2006 U.S. sales of $10 billion, are commonly used for patients with certain forms of kidney disease and for those receiving chemotherapy for cancer.

The FDA is adding warnings to the drugs’ labels that will strongly instruct doctors to use the lowest possible dose needed to help patients avoid blood transfusions.

The FDA will also take a close look at how the drugs are marketed, including claims the drugs can improve the quality of life.

A meeting of FDA officials to further discuss this issue, believed to stem from drug overuse by dialysis centers and oncologists who make more money by using more of the drugs. is scheduled for May 10. Recommendations could lead to additional revisions of the drugs’ labels.

Devastating blood born fungal infections that can be lethal for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and organ transplant patients may be treated more successfully, thanks to a new drug delivery method of Amphotericin B developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Because the oral form of the drug is easier to administer and cheaper than intravenous delivery more patients would have access to the medicine. Amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmBd) has been the gold standard for the treatment of systemic mycoses for the past 5 decades. The intravenous form of the drug caused severe kidney toxicity as well as serious tissue damage at the intravenous injection site. This research was triggered by clinicians needing a way to kill these fungal infections without risking the patient’s kidney. The new form can be can be taken by mouth with minimal side effects boosting effectiveness and dramatically reducing toxicity.

It was effective in treating Candida albicans an infection prevalent in HIV/AIDS and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, and can cause symptoms ranging from cough to brain damage. Research funding for this project was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada’s major agency responsible for funding health research. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.