Marrowforums - clinical trial

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I may have the opportunity to go to NIH to participate in a clinical trial of a medication that helps to bring up platelet counts. The medicine is called Eltrombopag. Has anyone heard about it or been a part of the preliminaries?

Quote:

Originally Posted by amberb (Post 21398)

Hello!

I'm interrested in know more about this as well.
My husband may be relapsing for the 2nd time, this time with CyA going on...

Hey Amber & Paula,

Marrowforums member Sally C's husband is in the NIH trial of eltrombopag for MDS. The drug is also called Promacta.

You can read about Sally's husband's experience in this thread. I'm sure she'd be happy to correspond with you about the trial; you could send her a private message.

NIH presented a paper on the eltrombopag trial for SAA at the recent ASH meeting. You can read the abstract here, and you could probably get a copy of the full paper from the docs at NIH.

As I read it, 41% responded to the drug; 32% had platelet responses good enough to make them transfusion independent for eight weeks or more.

Hope that helps.

Take care!

Greg

I don't know anything about this trial but participated in an NIH study - they are super.

Hey Amber and Paula,
Greg is correct. You are more than welcome to contact me regarding Promacta.
My husband was their first guinea pig for the Promacta trial for MDS patients at NIH. He received Campath in the spring of '09 and later cyclosporine - both at NIH. He started Promacta in March, 2011. He had been transfusion dependent since 1/09 for platelets and red cells.
He hasn't had platelets since early summer and only one red cell transfusion in 10/11. They said it might help his red cells also which it evidently has.
Platelets this week were 48,000 - they had been as low as 4,000. Red cells have been holding around 9/10. While to some that isn't setting the world on fire but for him, it is. He is tolerating it very well and feels better than he has since his diagnosis in 12/08. According to protocol we'll go for a bone marrow biopsy in Jan.,2012 but I have to believe things are ok as he is doing so well and feeling so good. Will let you know.
Please feel free to contact me through the forums, e-mail - shcalvert3 @aol.com, or phone - 804-590-2313.
God Bless,
Sally