Inclusion Criteria:  admitted to the ICU with sepsis or septic shock, diagnosed within the previous 24 hours  Exclusion Criteria:  Leukopenia/Neutropenia/Thrombocytopenia-prior or upon inclusion (Leucocyte Count <4000/μL; Neutrophile/ platelets Count below Lower Limit of Normal). Weight >135 kg/BMI >45. Active neoplasia. History of chemotherapy. Hypersensitivity to epirubicin History of bone marrow or solid organ transplantation. Immunosuppressive therapy. Acute severe infection within 4 weeks prior to admission (Hospitalization or admission to higher level clinical care facility for infection). Chronic infection. Cardiomyopathy with a documented ejection fraction <30% or AICD (automatic internal cardioverter defibrillator) implantation. Acute liver failure following the European Association for the Study of the Liver definition as International Normalized Ratio (INR) >1.5 and elevation of transaminases > 3 times of the upper normal limit (2). Pregnancy during all trimesters/breast-feeding. Chronic mechanical ventilation dependency. Cystic fibrosis. Concomitant medication with Verapamil or Cimetidine. Prior enrollment in this study. Participation in another clinical intervention trial.