The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of two different doses of ianalumab added to eltrombopag to prolong Time to Treatment Failure (TTF) in adults with primary ITP who failed previous first-line treatment with steroids.

Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are malignant clinical disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, bone marrow dysplasia, peripheral cytopenias and a property to transform into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Standard of care for MDS includes the hypomethylating agents (HMAs) (i.e. azacitidine, decitabine) to improve quality of life, decrease transfusion requirements and improve clinical outcome. However not all patients (pts) respond to HMAs and even in responding pts, cytopenias may persist. HMA-failure MDS has extremely poor prognosis and currently there are no approved therapeutic options for such pts who are often of advanced age with frequent comorbidities. Objectives: The dual primary objectives of this study evaluate the safety and efficacy of the second-generation thrombopoietin-receptor agonist (TPO-RA) eltrombopag (EPAG) for the treatment of MDS pts at the time of HMA-failure. Secondary objectives include incidence of transformation to AML and evaluation of bone marrow fibrosis during therapy. Methods: Eligible pts for this 2-arm phase 2 open-label clinical trial included adults with MDS after completing >4 HMA cycles with failure to achieve at least a partial response, or the presence of ongoing cytopenias per IWG criteria. Arm A includes eltrombopag monotherapy and Arm B includes eltrombopag with continuation of the HMA at the previous dosing schedule. The starting eltrombopag dose is 200mg orally daily, which can be increased to 300mg in the absence of toxicity. First response is assessed after 2 cycles with each cycle lasting 28 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was overall response rate based on the IWG-2006 criteria. Results: To date, 23 pts with a median age of 72 years (range 42-84 years) have been enrolled. Prior to study entry, pts had received a median of 6 (range 4-25) HMA cycles. Cytogenetics were diploid in 12 (53%), intermediate in 7 (30%), and high risk in 4 (17%) pts by IPSS. Median bone marrow blasts at study start was 3% (range 0-15%). Arm A has enrolled 7 pts with a median age of 74 years; Arm B has enrolled 16 pts with median age of 69 years. In Arm B, ongoing HMA therapy includes azacitidine in 7 (44%) and decitabine in 9 (56%). Nine (39%) pts increased to 300mg EPAG after median of 8 weeks on study. Median total cycles received on study is 5 (1-17); median OS has not been reached. Overall, 16 pts are response-evaluable; 7 pts discontinued prior to the first response assessment at 2 months (4 due to AEs including myalgias/fatigue (n=2), hyperbilirubinemia (n=1), and pneumonia (n=1), 2 per pt request and 1 for pt inability to comply with protocol requirements). Of the 16 response-evaluable pts, 3 (19%) in Arm B demonstrated platelet improvement, including one pt necessitating EPAG dose-reduction to 100mg due to platelet count exceeding 450 x109/L with concomitant ANC recovery at 200mg EPAG dose level. An additional 8 (35%) pts have remained on study for a median of 5 cycles (2-17) with stable disease. Two pts discontinued therapy due to disease progression, including 1 (4%) that progressed to AML. The most common non-hematologic AEs regardless of attribution included hyperbilirubinemia (n=14, 61%), fatigue (n=13, 56%) myalgias (n=11, 48%), fever (7, 30%), dyspnea (7, 30%), nausea (6, 26%) and transaminitis (4, 17%). No significant increase in bone marrow fibrosis has been observed. Conclusion: Eltrombopag orally daily appears to be a safe and beneficial supportive adjunct for pts with MDS while receiving HMA-therapy or after HMA-failure due to persistent cytopenias. Treatment on this study continues and larger prospective clinical trials are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

INTERVENTION:

Trade Name: Revolade Product Name: Eltrombopag Product Code: SB‐497115 Pharmaceutical Form: Coated tablet INN or Proposed

INN:

ELTROMBOPAG CAS Number: 496775‐61‐2 Current Sponsor code: SB‐497115 Concentration unit: mg milligram(s) Concentration type: range Concentration number: 25‐100

CONDITION:

Patients with lower and intermediate‐1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Therapeutic area: Diseases [C] ‐ Blood and lymphatic diseases [C15]

PRIMARY OUTCOME:

Main Objective: Evaluation of the proportion of patients with an increase of the platelet count (eltrombopag effect on platelet count), according to the international criteria.; Measurement of survival, differentiation and maturation characteristics of BMMCs & megakaryotic progenitor cells throughout the study’s duration. Primary end point(s): Evaluation of the platelet count throughout the duration of the study and evaluation of the type of response according to international criteria.; Measurement of platelet response parameters before treatment and at end of month 3, month 12 and month 24. Secondary Objective: 1. Safety and tolerability of eltrombopag.; 2. Change in bone marrow blast counts from baseline and as well as differences in % of bone marrow blasts between the two groups.; 3. Progression of disease. ; 4. Overall survival.; 5. Number of platelet transfusions.; 6. Duration of platelet transfusion‐independence.; 7. Incidence and severity of bleeding.; 8. Changes in hemoglobin levels and neutrophil counts. Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point: Throughout the duration of the study.

SECONDARY OUTCOME:

Secondary end point(s): • Clinical examination findings, clinical follow‐up, vital signs, laboratory tests and reported adverse events (including bleeding and transfusion‐related AEs). ; • Percentage of blasts in blood or/and bone marrow. ; • Percentage of neutrophils, platelets, haemoglobin, appearance of chloroma, appearance of B symptoms. ; • Disease response, disease progression, final outcome. ; • Number of platelet transfusions. ; • Duration of platelet transfusion‐independence. ; • Incidence and severity of bleeding (according WHO Bleeding Scale). ; • Improvement in haemoglobin levels, platelets and neutrophil counts. Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point: Throughout the duration of the study.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Adult subjects (= 18 years old) with low and intermediate‐1 MDS type according to the WHO classification and IPSS. 2. Mean baseline platelet count <30x Gi/L or <50 Gi/L with bleeding manifestations. 3. Patients with data on platelet count, bleeding and platelet transfusions covering a period of at least 4 weeks before enrolment. 4. Bone marrow examination 4 weeks before randomization. 5. Supportive/palliative therapies such as cytokines (except for IL‐11; oprelvekin), valproic acid and all‐trans retinoic acid are allowed, provided those therapies have been at a stable dose for 4 weeks or were completed 4 weeks prior to enrolment into this study. 6. ECOG Status 0‐2. 7. Adequate baseline liver and renal function defined by the criteria below: • total bilirubin (except for Gilbert’s Syndrome) = 1.5xULN • ALT and AST = 3xULN • serum creatinine = 1.5mg/dl or calculated creatinine clearance = 40ml/min (calculated buy the Cock

Thrombosis in patients with thrombocytopenia has several risk factors, both disease-related and treatment-associated. Recently, COVID-19 infection was recognized as an additional risk factor, further complicating the delicate balance between thrombosis and bleeding in these patients. Here we describe the case of a patient with aplastic anaemia on eltrombopag who developed pulmonary embolism during COVID-19 pneumonia, despite receiving oral anticoagulation with edoxaban. Notably, he was also carrying a large paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria clone, although without evidence of haemolysis. The presented case recapitulates some of the open questions in thrombotic risk management of cytopenic patients, such as the management of thrombopoietin receptor agonists and the choice of anticoagulation in PNH, while also accounting for the additional thrombotic risk linked to COVID-19.

BACKGROUND:

Few therapeutic options are currently available for patients (pts) with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) refractory to antithymocyte globulin (ATG) plus ciclosporine (CsA) and not eligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. It has recently been reported that eltrombopag (ELT), a TPO receptor agonist, is efficient to improve tri-lineage blood counts in this setting. However, real-life use of this drug is still largely unknown. In pts with SAA refractory to ATG, physicians can accede to ELT in France through a compassionate use program. We took advantage of this program to assess the efficacy and safety of ELT in SAA pts.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

The French National Reference Center for Aplastic Anemia conducted identified (already seen at SAA diagnosis), and karyotype was a failure in 1 pt.

CONCLUSION:

We report here the first real-life multicenter study about the use of ELT in SAA. In a particular severe pts population with no other treatment possibility, we confirm a 40% rate of hematological improvement with transfusion independence. Some of the pts who were not eligible to ATG plus CsA (comorbidities) also received ELT first line with similar response rates. Elderly pts unfit for ATG may thus benefit from this treatment which at the best should be given through prospective clinical trials. (Figure Presented).

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In this phase 2 study, patients with solid tumors receiving gemcitabine monotherapy or gemcitabine plus cisplatin/carboplatin were randomized 2:1 to eltrombopag 100 mg (n = 52) or placebo (n = 23) for 5 days before and after chemotherapy was started. The primary endpoint was prechemotherapy (Day 1) platelet count across ≤6 cycles. Prechemotherapy platelet counts were numerically higher with eltrombopag than placebo. Frequencies of grades 3/4 thrombocytopenia were lower with eltrombopag in both the combination therapy (77 vs. 100%) and monotherapy (36 vs. 42%) groups. Proportionately fewer eltrombopag-treated patients had platelet counts <100 × 109/L at nadir. Among patients receiving combination chemotherapy, mean time to recovery from platelet nadir was 8 days with eltrombopag vs. 15 days with placebo. Eltrombopag-treated patients had fewer dose delays/reductions or missed doses due to thrombocytopenia in both the combination therapy (77 vs. 91%) and monotherapy (62 vs. 83%) groups. Adverse events and serious adverse events were less frequent with eltrombopag in both chemotherapy groups, with reduced rates of anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia in patients receiving combination chemotherapy. In conclusion, eltrombopag treatment shortened the time to recovery from platelet nadir in patients treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy and reduced dose delays/reductions due to thrombocytopenia.

OBJECTIVES:

Thrombocytopenia is an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Azacitidine, first-line treatment for the majority of patients with higher-risk MDS, is associated with aggravated thrombocytopenia during the first cycles. Eltrombopag is a novel thrombopoietin receptor agonist, which also has been shown to inhibit proliferation of leukaemia cell lines in vitro. This phase I clinical trial was designed to explore the safety and tolerability of combining eltrombopag with azacitidine in patients with MDS. In addition, we assessed the potential effects of eltrombopag on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from included patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Previously untreated patients with MDS eligible for treatment with azacitidine and with a platelet count <75 × 10(9) /L were included. Patients received eltrombopag in dose escalation cohorts during three cycles of azacitidine.

RESULTS:

Twelve patients, with a median age of 74 yr, were included. Severe adverse events included infectious complications, deep vein thrombosis and transient ischaemic attack. The maximal tolerated eltrombopag dose was 200 mg qd. Complete remission or bone marrow remission was achieved in 4 of 12 patients. Platelet counts improved or remained stable in 9 of 12 patients despite azacitidine treatment. No increase in blast count, disease progression, or bone marrow fibrosis related to study medication was reported. Eltrombopag did not induce cycling of HSPCs.

CONCLUSION:

The combination of eltrombopag with azacitidine in high-risk MDS patients is feasible and well tolerated. Improvements in platelet counts and the potential antileukaemic effect of eltrombopag should be explored in a randomised study.

Background: Thrombocytopenia is a life‐threatening complication in patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In this study (ASPIRE), we aimed to assess eltrombopag, an oral thrombopoietin receptor agonist, for thrombocytopenia (grade 4) treatment in adult patients with advanced MDS or AML. Methods: ASPIRE consisted of an open‐label, double‐blind phase for 8 weeks and a randomised, double‐blind phase (parts 1 and 2, reported here) for 12 weeks, and an open‐label extension (part 3). Eligible patients were men and women aged 18 years or older, with intermediate‐2 or high‐risk MDS or AML, with bone marrow blasts of 50% or less, and had either grade 4 thrombocytopenia due to bone marrow insufficiency (platelet counts <25 x 109 per L) or grade 4 thrombocytopenia before platelet transfusion, with 25 x 109 platelets per L or greater after transfusion. Additionally, eligible patients had at least one of the following within the screening period of 4 weeks: platelet transfusion, symptomatic bleeding, or platelet count of less than 10 x 109 per L. During part 1, patients received eltrombopag, and dose‐escalation criteria for part 2 were determined. In part 2, we randomly allocated patients 2:1 using an interactive voice‐response system to eltrombopag or placebo, stratified by baseline platelet count (<10 x 109 platelets per L vs >=10 x 109 platelets per L) and disease (MDS vs AML). In parts 1 and 2, patients received supportive standard of care and initiated eltrombopag or placebo at 100 mg per day (50 mg per day for patients of east‐Asian heritage) to a maximum of 300 mg per day (150 mg per day for patients of east‐Asian heritage). The part 2 primary objective was assessed by a composite primary endpoint of clinically relevant thrombocytopenic events (CRTE) during weeks 5‐12, defined as one of the following events, either alone or in combination: grade 3 or worse haemorrhagic adverse events; platelet counts of less than 10 x 109 per L; or platelet transfusions. Efficacy analyses were based on intention to treat; clinically meaningful efficacy was defined as 30% absolute difference between groups. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01440374. Findings: In part 1, 17 patients received eltrombopag and 11 patients completed treatment; four experienced significantly increased platelet counts, and ten had reduced platelet transfusion requirements. In part 2 we randomly allocated 145 patients to receive supportive care plus eltrombopag (n=98) or placebo (n=47); similar proportions had MDS (50 [51%] patients to eltrombopag, 22 (47%) patients to placebo) or AML (48 [49%] patients to eltrombopag, 25 [53%] patients to placebo). Average weekly CRTE proportions from weeks 5‐12 were significantly lower with eltrombopag (54% [95% CI 43‐64]) than with placebo (69% [57‐80], odds ratio [OR] 0.20, 95% CI 0.05‐0.87; p=0.032) although the difference between treatment groups was less than 30%. The most common grade 3 and grade 4 adverse events were fatigue (six [6%] in the eltrombopag group and one [2%] in the placebo group), hypokalaemia (six [6%] and two [4%]), pneumonia (five [5%] and five [11%]), and febrile neutropenia (five [5%] and six [13%]). Serious adverse events were reported in 56 (58%) eltrombopag‐treated patients and 32 (68%) placebo‐treated patients. Seven eltrombopag recipients and two placebo recipients had serious adverse events that were suspected to be study drug‐related (eltrombopag: acute kidney injury, arterial thrombosis, bone pain, diarrhoea, myocardial infarction, pyrexia, retinal vein occlusion, n=1 each; placebo: vomiting, white blood cell count increased, n=1 each). Two eltrombopag recipients (arterial thrombosis n=1; myocardial infarction n=1) and no placebo recipients experienced fatal serious adverse events suspected to be study drug‐related. Interpretation: No new safety concerns were noted with eltrombopag and the trial met the primary objective of a reduction in CRTEs; eltrombopag might be a treatment option for thrombocytopenic patients with AML or MDS who are ineligible for other treatment and who are not receiving disease‐modifying treatment. Funding: Novartis Pharma AG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd.

Background: The dengue-infected patients with or without hemorrhagic manifestations, typically exhibit moderate to severe thrombocytopenia. A thrombopoietin receptor agonist – eltrombopag has been efficacious in correcting thrombocytopenia in patients with various pathological conditions including immune thrombocytopenia, chronic liver disease, and severe aplastic anemia. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag to correct dengue-mediated thrombocytopenia. Methods: In this open-label, randomized controlled phase-II trial, patients with dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) having platelet (PLT) count lower than 100 × 109/L without comorbidity, pregnancy, and liver abnormalities were enrolled in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Better Life Hospital and AMZ hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Between October 10, 2019, and December 30, 2019, 123 DF and DHF patients were assessed for eligibility to be enrolled in the trial. Fourteen patients were excluded as they failed to fulfill the inclusion criteria (N = 6) or refused to participate in the trial (N = 8). Finally, 109 patients were randomly assigned to either Group 1, (N = 36), Group 2 (N = 37), or Control-group (N = 36) in a 1:1:1 ratio. Two doses of eltrombopag - 25 mg/day and 50 mg/day were administered to Group-1 and Group-2 patients, respectively whereas the control-group patients received standard dengue treatment without eltrombopag. The management of all enrolled patients was according to WHO guidelines. The randomization procedure was performed by using a computerized system (STATA Inc.). CBC and immature platelet fraction (IPF) were monitored from Day-0 to Day-7. Absolute immature platelet count (A-IPC) was calculated from PLT count and IPF for each patient. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were measured on Day-0 and Day-4 and an Ultrasonogram (USG) of the abdomen was performed on Day-4 and Day-7 for each patient. The efficacy of eltrombopag as the primary outcome of the trial was investigated by the proportion of patients with recovered platelet count receiving eltrombopag with corrected platelet count (platelet count above the lower normal limit: 150 × 109/L) on Day-7 of the enrollment as compared to the Control-group. As the secondary outcomes, the reduction of bleeding tendency in response to eltrombopag as well as the safety of eltrombopag in dengue patients were assessed. The safety was evaluated in case of adverse events, liver function enzymes AST/ALT levels and USG. This trial is registered with the international clinical trial registry, number SLCTR/2019/037. Results: A total of 101 patients including 77 DF and 24 DHF patients completed the trial as eight patients left the trial without completing the follow-up. Patients of the different groups were compared with respect to mean age (26±8, 30±10 and 30±9 years for, Group-1,-2 and Control-group, respectively) (p-value= 0.23) and basal PLT count (Group-1: 58±24 × 109; Group-2: 52±29 × 109 and control-group: 55±30 × 109) (p-value= 0.63). The mean PLT counts for Group-1 (332 × 109/L ± 92) and Group-2 (371 × 109/L ± 111) were significantly higher than control-group (194 × 109/L ± 96) on Day-7 (adjusted p-value= 1.15 × 10−06 for Group-1 vs. Control-group, and adjusted p-value= 1.82 × 10−08 for Group-2 vs. Control-group).). On Day-7, 91% of Group-1 (N = 30) and Group-2 (N = 32) patients who received eltrombopag achieved primary endpoint of PLT count above than lower normal limit (150 × 109/L) (Group-1: 91%, OR.: 8.33, 95% CI.: 2.11 to 32.80, p-value: 0.0024 and Group-2: 91%, OR.: 8.89, 95% CI.: 2.26 to 34.89, p-value: 0.0017) compared to 55% (N = 18) of control-group patients who did not receive eltrombopag. The bleeding manifestations for thirteen out of fourteen grade-II DHF patients were subsided within Day-7 who received eltrombopag, whereas four out of ten grade-II DHF patients with PLT counts lower than the lower normal limit in the control group showed intermittent bleeding symptoms throughout the trial period. Mean A-IPC but not IPF was significantly higher for eltrombopag-treated groups in comparison to the Control-group. The frequency of the most common adverse events (vomiting and diarrheal tendencies) was similar in the treated-and control-groups (N = 5, 15%, and N = 3, 9% for Group-1 and -2, respectively vs. N = 4, 12% in the Control-group). Ten (30%) patients of Group-1 and, fourteen (40%) patients of Group-2 showed increased AST (U/L) as opposed to nine patients (27%) in the Control-group. Increased ALT levels were observed for three (9%), nine (26%), and seven (21%) patients belonging to the Group-1, -2, and Control-group, respectively. PLT counts higher than the upper normal limit (450 × 109/L) on Day-7 were observed for seven patients who were administered the higher dose (50 mg/day) in contrast to the three patients receiving the lower dose (25 mg/day). USG reports did not show thrombosis events in any of the patients. Interpretation: The trial revealed that the administration of eltrombopag in a short regimen for three days was efficacious to restore the PLT count in DF and DHF patients. The higher number of A-IPCs in eltrombopag treated patients underscored the possible mode of action of eltrombopag through stimulating megakaryopoiesis in dengue patients. The trial hints toward the positive effect of eltrombopag in the cessation of bleeding manifestation. Administration of the lower dose (25 mg/day) of eltrombopag was shown to be safer and equally efficacious to the higher dose (50 mg/day) in treating dengue-infected patients.