Eltrombopag for Thrombocytopenia in Cirrhotic Patients with HCV

Cirrhotic patients who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) often experience thrombocytopenia as a result of the combination of portal hypertension–induced splenomegaly, decreased thrombopoietin production, and virus-mediated bone-marrow suppression. Thrombocytopenia can worsen during interferon-based therapy because of the bone marrow–suppressive effects of interferon. No effective platelet growth factor therapy is available to treat such thrombocytopenia episodes, so interferon therapy in cirrhotic HCV patients is problematic. In a new study, researchers evaluated the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag (a small, nonpeptide, oral platelet growth factor that acts as a thrombopoietin-receptor agonist) in HCV-positive cirrhotic patients …