The identification of rhEPO in pharmaceutical products was carried out by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and detection with specific antibodies that revealed a typical single broad band similar to that obtained with the European Pharmacopoeia Biological Reference Preparation for erythropoietin. The isoelectric focusing with immunodetection revealed extensive heterogeneity with 5-6 isoforms, characteristic according to the manufacturer. The potency was assessed by the normocythaemic mouse assay with values within 67.6% and 119.4% calculated against the stated potency. The precision evaluated by the weight was within 200 and 389, for the combined assays. The toxicity, bacterial endotoxins, and pH gave variable results according to the batch. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of the batch-to-batch tests and assays that would guarantee the quality and therapeutic efficacy of the pharmaceutical products.
Recombinant human erythropoietin; Normocythaemic mice; Electrophoresis; Isoelectric focusing; Bioassay
