The US Food and Drug Administration is looking to ask outside experts to re-look and re-access the use of anemia drugs by Johnson & Johnson and Amgen Inc., when they are used for patients who are suffering from chronic kidney disease.

The health officials, in an article which was published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, said that the facility "anticipates convening a public advisory committee meeting in
2010 to reevaluate the use of drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in people with chronic kidney disease".

Included in ESAs are Amgen's Aranesp and Epogen and J&J's Procrit.

The anemia medicines came under the regulator's scrutiny microscope after studies revealed that their high dosage could lead to cardiovascular complications and even death. Strong warnings were sounded over recent years, and sales of these medicines fell sharply. The drugs, however, remained widely in use for patients with kidney disease and cancer.

Now, the FDA is going to look at the safety of the use of these drugs in patients with kidney and cancer conditions as well.