As of last Monday, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) its approval of a new drug to treat thrombocytopenia in cases of chronic liver disease (CLD). Keep reading to learn more, and follow the original story here for additional details.
Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which an individual lacks an appropriate number of blood platelets. Platelets are a form of blood cell which is responsible for the clumping and, ultimately, clotting of blood.
The average platelet level stays between 150,000 and 400,000 for every microliter of blood. When platelet levels fall below 150,000 a person is considered to have thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia leads to complications with bleeding, may cause fatigue, enlargement of the spleen, and jaundice.
Click here to learn more about thromobocytopenia.
The new US FDA approved drug comes from Dova Pharmaceuticals Inc. It belongs to a category of drugs referred to as thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO RA). TPO RA type drugs stimulate the manufacturing of blood platelets. The new Dova Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug is the first of it’s kind (in regards to chronic liver disease) to receive approval from the US FDA.
Commonly in cases of thrombocytopenia, patients require a platelet transplant. This is especially prevalent in situations where medical procedures are concerned. Techniques such as biopsies often create risks due to the ease and severity of bleeding thrombocytopenia patients experience. There is hope that this new drug and others styled after it may be able to reduce or eliminate the need for platelet transfusions before these kinds of procedures.
A Japanese based drug manufacturer, Shionogi & Co. Ltd, are expected to produce a drug similar to the Dova Pharmaceuticals Inc. treatment. The US FDA decisions regarding the approval of this drug are suspected to be released towards the end of August. Meanwhile, trading of Dova Pharamaceutical Inc. stock has been halted on the Nasdaq.
