Affymax Inc. won a U.S. panel’s backing for an experimental anemia medicine that would compete with treatments marketed by Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson for patients with chronic kidney disease.

The benefits of the drug, known as peginesatide, outweigh potential heart risks, outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said today in a 15-1 vote in Silver Spring, Maryland. The FDA isn’t required to follow the advisory panels’ recommendations.

Peginesatide would be Palo Alto, California-based Affymax’s first product if it gains FDA approval.