Review Question - QID 211019

A 58-year-old man makes an appointment with his nephrologist because he has been feeling weak and increasingly fatigued over the last month. Specifically, he has not been able to do activities of daily living independently because he feels short of breath after several minutes of activity. His past medical history is significant for rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis that led to kidney failure. He has been on hemodialysis for the last 6 months and has been compliant with attending every dialysis session. Physical exam reveals conjunctival pallor. Laboratory tests are obtained and results are shown below:

Hemoglobin: 8.9 g/dL (normal: 13.5-17.5 g/dL)
Platelet count: 198,000/mm^3 (normal: 150,000-400,000/mm^3)
Mean corpuscular volume: 87 µm^3 (normal: 80-100 µm^3)
Reticulocyte count: 0.1% (normal: 0.5-1.5%)

Based on these findings, the patient is given appropriate treatment to address his symptoms. Which of the following is the most likely mechanism of action for this treatment?