PURPOSE:

In myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), severe thrombocytopenia is associated with poor prognosis. This multicenter trial presents the second-part long-term efficacy and safety results of eltrombopag in patients with low-risk MDS and severe thrombocytopenia.

METHODS:

In this single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase-II trial of adult patients with International Prognostic Scoring System low- or intermediate-1-risk MDS, patients with a stable platelet (PLT) count (<30 × 103/mm3) received eltrombopag or placebo until disease progression. Primary end points were duration of PLT response (PLT-R; calculated from the time of PLT-R to date of loss of PLT-R, defined as bleeding/PLT count <30 × 103/mm3 or last date in observation) and long-term safety and tolerability. Secondary end points included incidence and severity of bleeding, PLT transfusions, quality of life, leukemia-free survival, progression-free survival, overall survival and pharmacokinetics.

RESULTS:

From 2011 to 2021, of 325 patients screened, 169 patients were randomly assigned oral eltrombopag (N = 112) or placebo (N = 57) at a starting dose of 50 mg once daily to maximum of 300 mg. PLT-R, with 25-week follow-up (IQR, 14-68) occurred in 47/111 (42.3%) eltrombopag patients versus 6/54 (11.1%) in placebo (odds ratio, 5.9; 95% CI, 2.3 to 14.9; P < .001). In eltrombopag patients, 12/47 (25.5%) lost the PLT-R, with cumulative thrombocytopenia relapse-free survival at 60 months of 63.6% (95% CI, 46.0 to 81.2). Clinically significant bleeding (WHO bleeding score ≥ 2) occurred less frequently in the eltrombopag arm than in the placebo group (incidence rate ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.75; P = .0002). Although no difference in the frequency of grade 1-2 adverse events (AEs) was observed, a higher proportion of eltrombopag patients experienced grade 3-4 AEs (χ2 = 9.5, P = .002). AML evolution and/or disease progression occurred in 17% (for both) of eltrombopag and placebo patients with no difference in survival times.

CONCLUSION:

Eltrombopag was effective and relatively safe in low-risk MDS with severe thrombocytopenia. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02912208 and EU Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT No. 2010-022890-33.

High-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induces transient profound myelosuppression and potential morbidity/mortality. PrE0901 was a phase I multi-center trial evaluating the safety/toxicity of eltrombopag in AML patients receiving HiDAC consolidation. We used a standard 3 + 3 design employing a unique dose-escalation/de-escalation strategy. One hundred four patients were screened, 54 declined participation, 35 were deemed medically ineligible, and 14 were treated on study. Three patients were treated in cohorts 1-4 and two were treated in cohort 5. Eltrombopag + HiDAC was well-tolerated and no dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Median time to platelet recovery of all patients treated was 22.5 (range 16-43) days. Observationally, eltrombopag 150 mg once daily starting on day 3 of consolidation demonstrated the fastest and most consistent platelet recovery (median 19 days). Further investigation is needed to define the optimal role, dose, and schedule of eltrombopag in the treatment of chemotherapy associated myelosuppression.

Thrombocytopenia is a common complication in patients (pts) with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that is associated with significant morbidity, a clinically significant bleeding risk, and early death. There are only limited treatment options for this high-risk population. Previous trials (Frey et al. ASH 2012) of thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPORAs) for thrombocytopenia treatment in these pts suggested reduced thrombocytopenia-associated bleeding. ASPIRE (NCT01440374) was a multicenter, phase 2 trial. Eligible pts were ≥18 years, with high-risk MDS or AML, thrombocytopenia (platelets ≤25 x 109/L) due to bone marrow insufficiency, bone marrow blasts ≤50%, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status of 0-2. Exclusion criteria included platelets ≤10 x 109/L for reasons other than bone marrow insufficiency; leukocyte count ≥25 x 109/L; previous TPO-RA treatment. Pts were severely ill, on no other anti-MDS/AML therapy, with an expected median survival of ~6 months on treatment. Part 1 was an 8-week open-label study of eltrombopag 100 mg/day with dose escalation up to 300 mg/day (Mittelman et al. ASH 2012). Part 2 was a 12-week randomized, double-blind trial, during which pts received eltrombopag or placebo (Mittelman et al. Lancet Haematol 2018). Pts who completed both parts continued to Part 3, an extension phase of 10 months (for pts from Part 1) and 9 months (for pts from Part 2) (Fig. 1A). In ASPIRE Part 2, eltrombopag reduced the frequency of clinically relevant thrombocytopenic events (CRTEs) (one or more ≥Grade 3 hemorrhagic adverse events [AEs], platelets ≤10 x 109/L, or platelet transfusions) compared with placebo during weeks 5-12 in pts with advanced MDS or AML. Here we present data on the long-term durability of clinical benefit, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for Part 2 pts within Part 2 and Part 3, and safety and tolerability of eltrombopag monotherapy in pts with advanced MDS or AML. Mean pt age was 72.2 years. Pts received a median eltrombopag daily dose of 298.8 mg with a median exposure of 11.1 weeks. At baseline, 40% of pts had an abnormal karyotype and 68% were platelet transfusion-dependent. OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-1.48) and PFS (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.68-1.43) were not significantly different between long-term eltrombopag and placebo to eltrombopag switchers in Part 3 (median OS of 4.3 months vs 4.6 months, respectively). Median PFS was 0.94 months and 1.08 months for the placebo and eltrombopag group, respectively. CRTEs were summarized by week with the proportion of pts plotted by visit. Pts experienced large variability in CRTEs during weeks 1-40 with inconclusive results due to low number of pts at some time points (Fig. 1B). Hematological improvement (HI) was defined as improvement (platelets, neutrophils, hemoglobin) on treatment compared with placebo (Cheson et al. Blood 2006). Overall, 33% of pts showed HI with long-term eltrombopag use, compared with 10% during the double-blind phase. However, HI did not reach statistical significance compared with placebo in the double-blind phase. 46% of pts completed treatment. The main reasons for treatment discontinuation were physician decision (24%) and AEs (22%). Overall, 97% of pts experienced an AE during the extension phase plus 30 days. The most common AEs (≥20% of pts) were pyrexia, nausea, diarrhea, and epistaxis. Overall, 56% of pts died, with the disease under study being the most common cause (36%), and 37% of pts had treatment-related AEs. 31% of pts experienced Grade 3 or 4 AEs. The most commonly reported (>5%) were pneumonia, febrile neutropenia, anemia, hypokalemia, and urinary tract infection. Overall, 66% of pts experienced a serious AE (SAE). The most common (≥10%) were pneumonia, pyrexia, febrile neutropenia, and sepsis. The most common fatal SAEs (≥5%) were sepsis, pneumonia, and cardiac failure. ASPIRE Part 3 did not identify any new safety signals. The most common AEs were consistent with those expected for the disease under study and with eltrombopag treatment. There was no evidence of reduced OS or PFS. More pts met the criteria for HI with long-term eltrombopag use compared with those in the double-blind phase. The large CRTE variability observed with eltrombopag during Part 3 requires further assessment in adequately powered trials of high-risk MDS or AML pts and in a less seriously ill population. (Figure Presented).

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Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is characterized by trilineage marrow hypoplasia and a paucity of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) progenitors. SAA is treated with immunosuppressive therapy (IST) or allogeneic HSC transplantation (HSCT), with a successful outcome after either treatment in a majority of patients. However, 20-40% of patients without a suitable donor for HSCT and a suboptimal response to IST may have persistent severe thrombocytopenia. Thrombopoietin (TPO) is the principal regulator of platelet production, and it exerts its effects through binding the megakaryocyte progenitor TPO receptor mpl, which stimulates production of mature megakaryocytes and platelets. Several lines of evidence support the concept that signaling through mpl also influences expansion and maintenance of primitive HSCs and multi-potent progenitor cells. Eltrombopag, is a small molecule TPO receptor agonist that stimulates mpl, and increases platelet counts in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). It is approved for the treatment of chronic ITP (Promacta®). We conducted a non-randomized, pilot phase II study of eltrombopag in SAA patients who remained severely thrombocytopenic at least six months after one or more rounds of IST (clinical trials.gov identifier NCT00922883). Consecutive patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria received eltrombopag 50mg daily with dose escalation every two weeks to a maximum dose of 150mg daily. Primary end points assessed after three months of treatment were changes in peripheral blood counts (platelets, hemoglobin, absolute neutrophil counts), with hematologic response criteria defined a priori for each lineage. Secondary endpoints included the incidence of bleeding events, and health related quality of life. Patients who achieved hematologic responses were maintained on eltrombopag through an extended access protocol. We completed our planned accrual of twenty five patients, and 22 are evaluable for response to date. Median age was 45 years old (range 18-77 years), and the median time from the last course of IST was 13 months (range 6-54 months). Median follow up time was 9 months (range 1-24 months). Nine of twenty two patients (41%) achieved hematologic responses: seven of twenty-two patients (32%) achieved platelet responses with transfusion independence for eight weeks or greater; six patients had improved hemoglobin levels after starting treatment (mean hemoglobin increase of 3.8 g/dL) and 4 patients who were previously dependent on red blood cell transfusions have achieved transfusion-independence. Five neutropenic patients had increased neutrophil counts after treatment with eltrombopag (mean increase 660 cells/uL). Plasma TPO levels did not predict for hematologic response to eltrombopag. Serial bone marrow biopsies performed on patients with hematologic responses demonstrated normalization of trilineage hematopoiesis and cellularity in three of four responders receiving a year or more of therapy, with no increase in reticulin fibrosis (Figure 1). These results represent the first evidence that TPO stimulation can expand the HSC pool in humans, with clinically meaningful trilineage hematologic improvements in patients with SAA, resulting in transfusion-independence and improved quality of life with a simple daily oral regimen. Updated response data on the full 25 patients will be presented at the Society's meeting. [Image Presented].

Background: Eltrombopag is the first orally self-administered, small-molecule, nonpeptide thrombopoietin receptor agonist for the treatment of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Objective: The aim of these studies was to assess the effect of food and antacids on the pharmacoki-netic and safety profiles of eltrombopag. Methods: Two independent, single-dose, open-label, randomized-sequence, crossover studies of oral eltrom-bopag were conducted in healthy adult volunteers. The first study (study A) compared eltrombopag 50 mg (tablets or capsules) administered in the fasted state or tablets with a high-fat, high-calcium breakfast. The second study (study B) investigated eltrombopag tablets (75 mg) administered in the fasted state; immediately after a low-fat, low-calcium meal or a high-fat, low-calcium meal; 1 hour before a high-fat, low-calcium meal; or with an antacid containing aluminum hydroxide and magnesium carbonate. Vital signs were recorded and electrocardiogram and clinical laboratory tests were performed at screening, within 24 hours before and within 48 hours after each dose of study medication. Symptom assessment was performed and adverse events (AEs) were assessed previous to study drug administration through follow-up in terms of severity and relationship to study medication. Results: In study A, 18 male subjects (mean age, 23.0 years; weight, 70.3 kg; white race, 94.4%) who received a high-fat, high-calcium breakfast had reduced bioavailability of eltrombopag in terms of AUC0-∞) by 59% (geometric mean ratio [GMR], 0.41; 90% CI, 0.36-0.46) and Cmax by 65% (GMR, 0.35; 90% CI, 0.30-0.41) compared with subjects in a fasted state. In study B, the bioavailability in 26 subjects (14 male, 12 female; mean age, 35.6 years; weight, 76.0 kg; white race, 65.4%) was not significantly changed when administered with food that was low in calcium, despite the fat content (GMRs ranged from 0.87-1.03 for AUC0-∞ and 0.85-1.01 for Cmax across the 3 studied meals). Mean plasma AUC0-∞) and Cmax values decreased by ~70% (GMR, 0.30; 90% CI, 0.24-0.36 for AUC0-∞) and 0.24-0.38 for Cmax) when administered with a metal cation-containing antacid. No serious AEs were reported and all AEs were rated as mild to moderate in intensity. The most frequently reported AE was headache (study A, 6.3%; study B, 12.0%-29.2%). Conclusions: Concomitant administration of el-trombopag with high-calcium food or an antacid containing aluminum and magnesium was associated with significantly reduced systemic exposure, whereas low-calcium meals were not. A single dose of eltrom-bopag was generally well tolerated in these healthy volunteers. © 2009 Excerpta Medica Inc. All rights reserved.

Background: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) causes low platelet counts, variable bleeding symptoms, and reductions in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite this, novel therapies for newly diagnosed ITP have not been introduced in over 30 years. Eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO‐RA), was FDA approved for children with chronic ITP in 2015. The use of eltrombopag for adults with newly diagnosed ITP has been described in two small single‐center trials (Tripathi et al, Int J Hematol, 2014; Gόmez‐Almaguer et al, Blood, 2014), and pediatric hematologists do use TPO‐RAs off‐label in some cases of newly diagnosed ITP (Neunert et al, Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2016). TPO‐RAs may be an efficacious and more durable first‐line therapy for children with newly diagnosed ITP who require treatment. This abstract provides a 4‐year interval update on the Pediatric ITP Newly diagnosed patients Eltrombopag vs Standard therapy (PINES) trial in progress. Study Design and Methods: The PINES trial, NCT03939637, is an investigator‐initiated prospective, open label, randomized, multi‐center trial sponsored by the ITP Consortium of North America (ICON) and funded by Novartis. The primary objective is to determine if the proportion of patients with a platelet response, defined as ≥3 of 4 platelet counts >50 x10 9/L during weeks 6‐12 without rescue treatment, is significantly greater in patients with newly diagnosed ITP treated with eltrombopag compared to those treated with standard first‐line therapy. Patients (n=162) from 30 ICON centers (Figure) are randomized 2:1, stratified by age and treatment status, to receive the experimental treatment, eltrombopag, or investigator's choice of 3 standard first‐line therapies: prednisone, intravenous immune globulin or anti‐D globulin at standardized doses. Eligible patients are ages 1 to <18 with primary ITP, within 3 months of diagnosis, with platelet count <30 x10 9/L who require pharmacologic treatment from the perspective of the treating clinician. Baseline treatment status is 1) upfront treatment, or patients within 10 days of ITP diagnosis with no prior treatment, and 2) treatment failure, or patients previously managed with observation or a first‐line standard agent. Patients are ineligible if they can be observed without medication or have severe bleeding. A one‐sided z‐test, at alpha=0.025, will be used to compare the proportion of patients who have a platelet response between the two treatment arms. All randomized patients will be analyzed in the intention‐to‐treat analysis. Secondary objectives include treatment arm comparison of bleeding scores (WHO Bleeding Scale and Modified Buchanan Score), changes in HRQoL (measured by the Kids ITP Tool, Hockenberry Fatigue Scale, PROMIS, and Global Change Scale), and changes in percentage of CD4 +25 +Foxp3 + regulatory T (Treg) cells. Due to challenges related to recruitment and the logistics and safety of obtaining frequent assessments during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the primary endpoint was re‐defined in 2021 to what is considered a clinically equivalent definition of response, from ≥6 of 8 weekly to ≥3 of 4 biweekly platelet counts >50 x10 9/L during weeks 6‐12. Baseline Characteristics: Since first site activation in 2019, 100 patients have been enrolled (Table). Subjects include 42 patients aged 1‐<6 years, 34 patients aged 6‐<12 years, and 24 patients aged 12‐<18 years. Thirty‐six patients received upfront treatment and 64 patients had treatment failure prior to enrollment. Median baseline platelet count at enrollment was 5 x10 9/L (range 1 ‐ 28 x10 9/L). Median WHO Bleeding Scale at enrollment was 1 (range 0 ‐ 3) and median modified Buchanan Overall Score was 3 (range 0 ‐ 3). Baseline HRQoL surveys have been obtained for >80% of eligible subjects. Treg samples have been obtained for 95% of subjects, and 74% of subjects have consented to optional biology studies. Conclusion: Despite historical difficulty completing interventional trials in pediatric ITP and pandemic‐related enrollment challenges, PINES trial enrollment is progressing successfully and will ultimately provide definitive data regarding the efficacy of eltrombopag in children with newly diagnosed ITP. There are no current data supporting the use of TPO‐RAs for newly diagnosed ITP in children, or as monotherapy for newly diagnosed ITP in adults. Results from this trial therefore carry the potential to change management practices in ITP.

This is a retrospective analysis of children (≤21years old) who received clinical treatment with either Romiplostim or Eltrombopag at 2 medical centers from 2009-2013. The children included in this study were from Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York and Children\'s Hospital Orange County, Orange, California

Background and Aims: This study aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag (EPAG) plus immunosuppressive therapies (ISTs) and haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) in the frontline treatment for severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients. Methods: Four electronic databases and Clinicaltrials.gov were comprehensively searched from January 2010 to August 2020. Studies that aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of EPAG+IST or haplo-HSCT in SAA patients were included. One-/2-year overall survival (OS), complete response (CR), and overall response rates (ORRs) were indirectly compared between EPAG+IST and haplo-HSCT. Results: A total of 447 patients involved in 10 cohort studies were found to be eligible for this study. A narrative synthesis was performed due to lack of data directly comparing the outcome of EPAG+IST and haplo-HSCT. Consistent with the analysis results in the whole population, subgroup analyses in the age-matched population showed that there was no significant difference in ORR between EPAG+IST and haplo-HSCT groups. However, the CR rate was lower in the EPAG+IST group when compared with the haplo-HSCT group. The incidence rate of clonal evolution/SAA relapse ranged at 8-14 and 19-31% in the EPAG+IST group but not reported in the haplo-HSCT group. The incidence rate for acute graft vs. host disease (aGVHD) and chronic graft vs. host disease (cGVHD) ranged at 52-57 and 12-67%, respectively, for the haplo-HSCT group. The main causes of deaths were infections in the EPAG+IST group, and GVHD and infections in the haplo-HSCT group. Conclusion: EPAG+IST has a comparable ORR and 1-/2-year OS but lower CR rate when indirectly compared with haplo-HSCT in the frontline treatment of patients with SAA. Patients treated with haplo-HSCT may exhibit a high incidence of GVHD, whereas patients treated with EPAG+IST may experience more relapses or clone evolution.

Background: The thrombopoietin receptor agonist eltrombopag has been shown to be safe and effective for children with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The aim of the present study was to characterize eltrombopag use in current clinical practice. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted in 17 centers affiliated to the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (AIEOP). The primary objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of eltrombopag use in Italian children affected by chronic ITP, after EMA authorization for pediatric age. The secondary objective was to assess efficacy in the first 6 months and safety during the whole period of eltrombopag treatment in current clinical practice. A total of 386 children with chronic ITP were retrospectively enrolled and eligible for analysis. Among these patients, 71 received eltrombopag. Results: The prevalence of eltrombopag use was 19% (95% CI 0.15-0.23). Thirty-one patients (44%) were male and 40 patients (56%) were female. The median age at the first dose of eltrombopag was 12 years (3-17 years). The median duration of eltrombopag treatment was 11 months (1-32 months) and the median starting dose was 50 mg/day (12, 5-75 mg/day). Thirty-two patients (45%) required one or more concomitant ITP medications during the first 6 months of treatment with eltrombopag. Thirty-nine patients (55%) never required concomitant medications. Median platelet counts and proportion of patients achieving the target platelet count of at least 30 × 109/L and 100 × 109/L significantly increased during the first 6 months of treatment (p < 0.0001). Additionally, eltrombopag has been proved effective in the absence of concomitant therapies. The most common Adverse Events were headache (7%) and thrombocytosis (6%). Conclusion: Our study highlighted the crucial role of eltrombopag as second line treatment in children with chronic ITP.