PAIN PRODUCED AFTER SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTIO N OF PREFILLED SYRINGES OF RHUEPO AND EVALUATION OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS NEW PREPARATION

An open, multicenter, randomized, comparative study was undertaken to evaluate the advantages in the administration of the new preparation o f recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) alfa in prefilled syrings versus r-HuEPO beta in vials and also to compare the pain produced af ter the injection of both preparations. Three hundred and forty seven patients with chronic renal failure under hemodialysis treatment who w ere receiving subcutaneous r-HuEPO during at least two months were enr olled in this study. Two different preparations were used (Eprex(R) [e poetin alfa] in prefilled syringes and Erantin(R) [epoetin beta] in vi als). All the patients received 6 consecutive subcutaneous injections (3 of each preparation in a random order) using always the same inject ion technique. One nurse prepared the prefilled syringe or the vial, s he also injected the r-HuEPO and finally she answered a questionnaire to assess the differences in the preparation and administration betwee n both preparations. Ten minutes after the administration, a second nu rse asked patients about the pain produced by injections. Pain was mea sured with two scales (visual analogue scale and verbal descriptive sc ale). This nurse did not know which preparation had been injected.No s ignificant difference was observed in the perception of pain on any sc ale in this study. The analysis of this questionnaire shows that prefi lled syringes resulted in reduced time of preparation and that nurses found prefilled syringes safer and more convenient to use.