Promacta raises platelet counts in HCV and ITP

Phase II data published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that UK-based drug major GlaxoSmithKline's drug Promacta (eltrombopag) significantly raises platelet levels in patients with thrombocytopenia. The studies, which enrolled subjects suffering from either hepatitis C-associated forms of the condition or chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, assessed the drug's ability to increase platelet levels to those sufficient for antiviral therapy, or 50,000 ml3 in ITP patients.

In the HCV-based trial, infected individuals were randomized to receive one of three daily doses of Promacta (30mg, 50mg, 75mg), or placebo, for a four-week period. The results showed that target counts of 100,000/ml3 were achieved by 75%, 79% and 95% for the three drug-treated groups, respectively, with no elevations being demonstrated by those in the control cohort.

The second study recruited 118 chronic ITP patients with platelet counts of less than 30,000/mcl. The primary endpoint, a minimum 50,000/ml3 platelet count, was achieved by 28%, 70% and 81% of the three dosage groups, versus just 11% in the control group.