Long-awaited clinical data for platelet factors

Abstract

The results of 2 separate studies presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) [ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; May 1996 ] have indicated that newly developed thrombopoietic agents are capable of reducing chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia in patients with cancer. The agents involved in the trials were recombinant human thrombopoietin [rhTPO; Genentech; phase I] and pegylated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor [MGDF; Amgen; phase I/II]. According to the researchers, the addition of these agents to chemotherapy regimens led to a more rapid restoration of platelet levels to baseline and permitted the administration of larger doses of chemotherapy, compared with chemotherapy alone.