The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Amgen’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Nplate (romiplostim) for the treatment of pediatric patients one year of age and older with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) for at least six months who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, or splenectomy.
“In the 10 years since the FDA approved Nplate as the first platelet booster for adult patients with chronic ITP, it has made a difference in the lives of thousands of adults, and we’re proud to bring this treatment option to children who need it most,” said David M. Reese, M.D., executive vice president of research and development at Amgen.
The approval was based on two placebo-controlled studies—Phase 3 and Phase 1/2—evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nplate in pediatric patients. In the Phase 3 study, published in The Lancet, rates of overall platelet response were increased with the Nplate group (71 percent) compared with placebo (20 percent), p<0.05.
Additionally, durable platelet response occurred more frequently with Nplate (52 percent) compared with placebo (10 percent), p<0.05. In the two placebo-controlled trials, adverse reactions with an incidence of > 25 percent in the Nplate arm were contusion, upper respiratory tract infection and oropharyngeal pain.
“Children with ITP are at risk for serious bleeding events and spontaneous bruising due to low platelet counts, which can be worrying for these young patients and their parents,” said Michael D. Tarantino, M.D., president of the Bleeding and Clotting Disorders Institute and professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria, Peoria, Ill. “Currently, these patients have a limited number of treatment options, especially for those with refractory disease.”
ITP is a rare, serious autoimmune disease characterized by low platelet counts in the blood (a condition known as thrombocytopenia) and impaired platelet production.1 In the U.S., the estimated prevalence of ITP in children is 5.3 per 100,000 children annually.1 The treatment goal for children with ITP is to achieve and maintain a platelet count that reduces the risk of bleeding.2
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References:
- National Organization for Rare Disorders. Immune Thrombocytopenia. https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/immune-thrombocytopenia/. Accessed Nov. 2, 2018.
- Children’s National Health System. Pediatric Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). https://childrensnational.org/choose-childrens/conditions-and-treatments/blood-marrow/idiopathic-thrombocytopenia-purpura-itp. Accessed Nov. 2, 2018
(Source: Amgen)
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
