Treatments for Immune Thrombocytopenia: What Are the Underlying Mechanisms?

Various therapies are used to treat immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), but their specific effects on platelet production and destruction are largely unknown. In this study, researchers evaluated the mechanisms underlying three drugs used for ITP treatment — the thrombopoietic agent eltrombopag and two agents thought to impede platelet destruction: intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and Rho(D) immune globulin (anti-D).

Peripheral blood samples were collected from 24 patients with ITP before and after receipt of the various drugs. For each patient, researchers calculated both the overall platelet count and, as a measure of platelet production, the immature platelet fraction (IPF). The basic premise was that if the platelet count increased in respon…