Self-Administration of Romiplostim in Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: Analysis of 3 Studies

Analyzed Data

Belgian authors combined the results of 3 studies that allowed self-administration of romiplostim in the treatment of ITP for patients who had achieved a stable dose for at least 3 consecutive weeks.

Efficacy and safety were assessed during 12-week treatment intervals, and parameters included the proportion of patients and weeks achieving platelet counts within the target range (50–200 × 10⁹/l), the incidence of adverse events, and the proportion of patients discontinuing treatment during self-administration (n = 563) versus administration by a healthcare provider (n = 241).

Results

The self-administration group had a higher proportion of patients achieving platelet counts within the target range (55–58 vs. 40–52%) and a higher proportion of weeks within the target range (75–88 vs. 47–76%) compared to the healthcare provider group. The self-administration group also had a 2–5× lower proportion of patients discontinuing treatment. Self-administration of romiplostim was also associated with a lower incidence of adverse events adjusted for the duration of treatment, serious adverse events, and therapy-related adverse events.

Conclusion

The authors concluded that self-administration of romiplostim is a viable treatment option for selected ITP patients.

(zza)

Source: Selleslag D., Bird R., Altomare I. et al. Impact of self-administration of romiplostim by patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia compared with administration by a healthcare provider. Eur J Haematol 2015; 94 (2): 169–176, doi: 10.1111/ejh.12415.