Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is a type of disorder in which in which the bone marrow stops producing mature Red blood cells (RBC). Due to this the patients lack enough number of RBCs and resulting in improper functioning of the body. Typical symptoms include weakness, fatigue, infections, easy bruising, bleeding, and fever. Hence the Food and Drug Administration approved Dacogen injections for the treatment of MDS.
These injections promote the normal development of blood cells. The FDA has given the drug an orphan drug status. This is because it is used in the treatment of rare diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. the approval has been an alternative for people suffering from MDS as they can avoid blood transfusions says Steven Galson, MD, Director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. As of now there is no clear evidence for the cause of MDS. They can develop following treatment with drugs or radiation therapy for other diseases and can progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Statistics show that about 7,000 to 12,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly in the US.
