EPO-Mimetic Peptide Pegmolesatide Therapy for Pure Red Cell Aplasia in a Patient with Non-dialysis-dependent Type 1 Diabetic Nephropathy: A Case Report

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare complication of erythropoietin (EPO) therapy, characterized by a severe deficiency in red blood cell production. There is no guideline on the treatment for PRCA because there have been too few cases to perform prospective cohort studies. The main treatments for PRCA include immediate cessation of EPO, restrictive transfusion, and immunosuppressive therapies. A 35-year-old male patient with type 1 diabetic nephropathy was diagnosed with PRCA. Enarodustat and roxadustat were administered successively after discontinuation of EPO, but anemia did not improve, and the patient was maintained with weekly blood transfusions. Subsequently, the EPO-mimetic peptide pegmolesatide was administered, and the patient’s hemoglobin started to increase after 1 week and increased from 50 g/L to 92 g/L over approximately 3 months. Based on these findings, we speculate that pegmolesatide can provide a safe, effective, and convenient therapeutic strategy for PRCA in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease.