Posted on 12/11/2022 5:45:46 AM PST by ConservativeMind
Patients taking efgartigimod, a drug being studied for use to treat chronic primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), exhibited a significantly greater improvement in platelet counts which are essential to clotting and stopping bleeding, compared to those taking a placebo, according to results reported from the ADVANCE IV clinical trial.
People with ITP have a type of autoantibody (antibodies directed against a person's own proteins) called immunoglobulin G (IgG) that increases the clearance of platelets from the circulation and can also reduce platelet production. ITP can be very difficult to treat, especially in patients who have not responded well to previous ITP therapies.
Efgartigimod has a novel mechanism of action. It lowers IgG levels while not affecting important immune-system components such as lymphocytes, IgG production, or the body's innate immune system.
The drug, sold under the brand name Vyvgart, has only been approved for treatment of a form of myasthenia gravis, a condition that is caused by autoantibodies and results in broken communications between nerves and muscles.
Patients with chronic ITP who received efgartigimod compared to placebo achieved a significant improvement in sustained platelet response (21.8% vs. 5%, respectively) during at least four of the last six scheduled trial visits, with about 50% of those who responded to the drug seeing doubled platelet counts.
Response to the drug was seen in all types of patients regardless of age, disease severity, time since diagnosis, prior ITP treatment or use of other medications. The most commonly reported side effects of the drug included bruising, headache, blood in the urine and rash-like symptoms on the skin related to bleeding. No serious side effects related to treatment were reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Some people need an enhanced ability to clot their blood. Others, not so much.
Conservative Mind. Do you have Munchausen Syndrome? You sure are obsessed with medical articles.
We have people who have health issues and I post things that allow them to be addressed.
I spent years not posting the things I had read and knew could address umpteen concerns.
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