Largest trial to date with 4,038 patients and examined patients with CKD and type 2 diabetes (not on dialysis) looking at hemoglobin normalization. It was double-blinded and compared treatment of darbepoetin alfa with target hemoglobin goal of 13 g/dL against placebo with a median follow up of 29.1 months. The conclusion was that the use of darbepoetin alfa did not reduce the risk of either death, cardiovascular, or a kidney event. However, it was associated with an increased risk of stroke in a subgroup analysis.
