The anemia drugs in question are also called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). ESAs are drugs that are bioengineered from a natural protein called erythropoietin. This protein, which is released in the kidney stimulates the bone marrow to elaborate more red blood cells and thus increases hemoglobin levels in the body.

The latest study is a meta-analysis, meaning it collated data from all available clinical trials on Aranesp from Amgen and Procrit from Johnson & Johnson. Lead researcher Dr. Charles L. Bennett, a professor at Northwestern University said the analysis had clearly shown an increased risk of death in patients using these drugs.

The study collected data from 51 clinical trials involving 13,611 patients. The study said there was also a 57 percent increased risk of dangerous blood clots from these drugs.

Reporting in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the authors theorized that these drugs may be directly stimulating the growth of tumors and hence hastening death.

Procrit and Aranesp are artificial forms of erythropoietin or epo, which is present in human kidney and boosts the production of hemoglobin. Many analysts believe that the drugs are prescribed unnecessarily as it provides a source of revenue to kidney dialysis centers and oncologists.

These drugs had been marketed as having potential to reduce feeling of fatigue in cancer patients, those suffering from HIV and chronic kidney failure. Last November, the FDA had issued new "black box" warnings for three ESAs.  The latest findings will probably be taken into consideration when an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration meets on March 13.

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