Labels on the anemia drugs Aranesp and Procrit must be changed in a way that could limit their use in treating cancer patients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

It's the first time the FDA has used its authority under a 2007 law that gave the agency the power to order changes in a drug's prescribing information, The New York Times reported. Before the new law, the FDA could only negotiate with drug makers to change labels.

Amgen makes both Aranesp and Procrit, but Procrit is sold under license by Johnson & Johnson.

The Washington Post has a story on how anti-anemia drugs, prescribed for many patients undergoing chemotherapy, can actually shorten a patient’s life. Have you seen the ads about the cancer patient who is too tired to play with his grandchildren, and then takes Procrit? Procrit is also prescribed by surgeons so lessen the use of blood transfusions during joint replacements and other surgeries accompanied by blood loss. But apparently neither making you more energetic or preventing you from needing a transfusion are FDA-approved uses for Procrit. Those ads will soon go away.

By Steve Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- When a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel meets Thursday to weigh whether blood-boosting drugs are safe to use in cancer patients suffering from anemia, the question will not be an easy one to answer.