Reduced corticosteroid use in adult patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia receiving romiplostim

Adult patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia requiring first-line treatment typically receive corticosteroids, which are associated with low response rates and many potential side effects. In a retrospective analysis of two 6-month, placebo-controlled, phase III trials, corticosteroid use decreased from 30 to 26% among patients treated with the novel thrombopoietin-mimetic romiplostim (n583) and remained above 30% for placebo-treated patients (n=42). Moreover, compared to placebo, patients were spared 7 weeks of corticosteroid treatment for every 100 weeks of romiplostim treatment. Thereafter, corticosteroid use continued to decrease significantly, from 35 to 20%, in patients treated with romiplostim for up to 3 years in an open-label extension study (n=101), and patients were spared a further 8 weeks of corticosteroid treatment for each additional 100 weeks of romiplostim treatment. Such reductions in corticosteroids may improve health-related quality of life in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia.

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