Hi Richard.
Dr. Ramon Tiu of the Cleveland Clinic said recently that you shouldn't rely on blood counts to judge the successfulness of ATG treatment until 6 months after the treatment. I know that waiting that long for results can tax your patience, and require regular transfusions that you hoped to be freed from. I hope you'll see positive results much sooner, which is the case for some patients.
So far eltrombopag (Promacta) has received FDA approval for two conditions:
- chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) -- in 2008
- thrombocytopenia during treatment for chronic hepatitis C -- in 2012
In February 2014 the FDA gave eltrombopag
breakthrough therapy status, which provides expedited development and review.