Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta

Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta
Clinical data
Trade names	Mircera
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
License data	EU EMA: by INN;
Pregnancy; category	AU: B3;
Routes of; administration	Intravenous, subcutaneous
ATC code	B03XA03 (WHO) ;
Legal status
Legal status	AU: S4 (Prescription only); UK: POM (Prescription only); US: ℞-only; EU: Rx-only; In general: ℞ (Prescription only);
Identifiers
CAS Number	677324-53-7 ;
DrugBank	DB09107 ;
ChemSpider	none;
UNII	LR3UXN0193;
KEGG	D09998 ;
ChEMBL	ChEMBL3707314 ;
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Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta, sold under the brand name Mircera, is a long-acting erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) used for the treatment of anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease. It is the first approved, chemically modified erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA).

It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It was approved for medical use in the European Union, Switzerland, and the United States in 2007.

Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta is made from erythropoietin by chemically linking the N-terminal amino group or the ε-amino group of any lysine present in the protein with methoxy polyethylene glycol butanoic acid. The average molecular weight is approximately 60 kDa. The drug stimulates erythropoiesis by interacting with the erythropoietin receptor on progenitor cells in the bone marrow. It has a reduced receptor binding activity compared to other ESAs and but retains in vivo activity due to an extended serum half-life. It has an in vivo half-life of around 135 hours (5.6 days) as compared to darbepoetin alfa which has a half life of around 21 to 70 hours, the half life of which is three times that of the naturally occurring erthropoietin in the body.

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