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Have other treatments, such as steroids or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), not worked to keep your platelet levels stable or have they caused too many side effects?
PROMACTA® (eltrombopag) may be an option to treat your chronic immune thrombocytopenia (chronic ITP). Once-daily PROMACTA can quickly boost your platelet counts and keep them stable over time.
PROMACTA has been studied extensively in more people with chronic ITP than any other drug of its kind, including 3 clinical trials for adults and 1 long-term study that lasted 7 years. More than 700 adults were enrolled in 3 separate studies, and 302 of them went on to participate in the long-term study, which was the longest and largest ever run in chronic ITP.
Did you know PROMACTA is also proven to work for children with chronic ITP as young as 1 year old? Go here to learn about PROMACTA for chronic ITP in children.
PROMACTA may help you reach your platelet goal
The proof is in the clinical studies of adults with chronic ITP.
In a clinical trial of 117 adults with chronic ITP...
PROMACTA works fast:
of people reached their target platelet count as early as Day 8
of people reached their target platelet goal as early as 2 weeks
responded at Day 43 (primary study end point)
In a clinical trial of 302 adults with chronic ITP...
PROMACTA keeps working:
PROMACTA maintained platelet levels up to 7 years—the longest results ever reported in the treatment of chronic ITP
Other ways PROMACTA may help:
- At Day 15, PROMACTA showed a 64% reduction in serious bleeding vs placebo, from 22% to 8%
- At 1 year, PROMACTA showed a 76% reduction in serious bleeding vs placebo, from 17% to 4%
- 34 of 101 people who received additional medications permanently stopped taking at least 1 ITP medication, usually steroids
- At 5 years, in questionnaires used in the long-term trial, 80% of people with chronic ITP self-reported less fatigue, bleeding, and bruising
A wide range of people with chronic ITP were included in these clinical studies.
|
Data from 3 clinical studies and 1 long-term study of PROMACTA |
|
|
% of Males |
31-39% |
|
% of Females |
61-69% |
|
Median Age |
47-50 years old |
|
Average Starting |
Less than 30,000/mcL |
Did you know? Chronic ITP affects women more than men at a rate of almost 2:1.
Extensively studied in ~900 people with chronic ITP (ages 1 to 85)
- 730 adults
- 159 children
In clinical trials, consistently proven across patient types, no matter their age, sex, race, starting platelet count, number of medications they are taking for their ITP, or whether or not they’ve had their spleen removed
PROMACTA has demonstrated consistent safety, study after study
No other chronic ITP drug has been studied more than PROMACTA:
- The safety of PROMACTA was established in ~900 people, ranging in age from 1 to 85
- No single side effect occurred in more than 10% of people across 4 clinical studies
- PROMACTA may cause serious side effects including liver problems, blood clots, and cataracts
- The most common side effects of PROMACTA in adults and children include:
- low red blood cell count (anemia)
- nausea
- fever
- abnormal liver function tests
- cough
- tiredness
- headache
- diarrhea
- See additional safety information in the full Prescribing Information at https://www.novartis.us/sites/www.novartis.us/files/promacta.pdf
- At 6 years of treatment, no new or increased side effects were seen in comparison to the short-term trials
Now that you know PROMACTA has been proven to work for a wide range of people in clinical trials, find out how it works in your body to boost platelets. Click here.
What to expect when you’re starting PROMACTA
Learning how to make a new medicine part of your routine can take time. Each of the patients below had a different concern about starting treatment with PROMACTA. While everyone is unique, you may find it helpful to learn about other people’s experiences.
Take a look at the concerns below. Does anything sound familiar? See if something rings true for you.
Select each patient to learn more about his or her experience with taking PROMACTA.
When I first started taking PROMACTA, I would sometimes take my medicine with food. My doctor reminded me that for PROMACTA to work best, it should be taken without food or with food low in calcium—less than 50 mg. My doctor also told me that to get the full benefit of PROMACTA, I shouldn't be taking calcium-rich products around the time I take my medicine.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most patient person in the world. So when I started on PROMACTA, I wanted to know immediately if it was working. But because you may not feel any difference, especially in the beginning, it’s hard to know. That’s why I liked having regular blood tests. In the beginning, you’ll go every week to the doctor for a platelet count check, so your doctor can see if PROMACTA is working. This was great because I got to see the progress in my numbers right from the start, and because my doctor also checked my liver function, I felt comfortable knowing that it was safe for me to stay on PROMACTA. Now that my PROMACTA dose is set, I only need to get blood tests.
When my doctor first mentioned PROMACTA, I have to admit that I was uncertain about trying another medicine, especially when my last medication was not getting my platelet counts to the level my doctor was looking for. But my doctor reassured me by explaining that PROMACTA actually works with my body to boost the number of platelets being made—and keeps them at stable levels over time. And the fact that PROMACTA is a once-daily tablet means I can take it at the time that works best for me, wherever I am, without having to go into the doctor’s office for a weekly injection.
The above are patient portrayals.
Being diagnosed with chronic ITP
Do you share any of the same thoughts or concerns as Carol, Tom, or Alice? Click here to read how other people have reacted to being told that they have chronic ITP.
