Benefit
Mircera or epoetin β (EPO) conjugated to methoxy-PEG is a drug formulation utilized in treatment of anemia. Mircera received its approval in 2007 by both European commission and the FDA. EPO is a genetically recombinant form of erythropoietin, which is capable of stimulating erythropoiesis by acting on the erythropoietin receptors of bone marrow progenitor cells. In Mircera, the PEG moiety (∼ 60 kD) is first linked with butanoic acid and the NHS modified structure is linked to the lysine moiety of the EPO structure via amide bonds. This formulation provides a controlled release system with a half-life of 135 h, in comparison with naked EPO with a half-life of 7–20 h. The main benefit is the less frequent administration when using Mircera. Administration of Mircera is through intravenous or subcutaneous injection of 0.6 μg/kg every 2 weeks.
