So how would taking FG-4592/ASP1517 as a performance-enhancing drug compare to taking EPO? It is potentially better in several ways. Not only can FG-4592/ASP1517 do almost everything EPO can do, clinical trials have suggested that it may have a better “safety profile” than EPO. More specifically, no heart or blood pressure issues have been observed in trials thus far. Furthermore, FG-4592/ASP1517 is available in a pill form and does not have to be injected into the body.
This new compound has another advantage too, relating to iron absorption.
HIF promotes the body’s own EPO secretion from the kidneys and other non-renal sources (e.g. the liver) and up-regulates EPO receptors in the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. HIF also activates factors that improve iron absorption from the gut, that mobilise iron from storage sites within the body, and that effectively transport all the needed iron to the bone marrow for red blood cell production. As such, FG-4592/ASP1517 has an advantage over EPO injections in that athletes need not also supplement themselves with iron at the same time as EPO administration.