Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) switched to eltrombopag or romiplostim

This observational study aimed to assess real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes for patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) currently being treated with eltrombopag or romiplostim after switching from corticosteroids, rituximab, or the alternate thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA). The study examined the rationale for switching to TPO-RA therapy using aided responses. Dosing patterns were also analyzed before and after switching. Treatment outcomes were assessed through platelet counts at multiple time points including treatment initiation and after switching at the last office visit. A total of 280 patients were enrolled whose active therapy for ITP was replaced with either eltrombopag (n = 130) or romiplostim (n = 150). Efficacy-related issues (desired platelet count not achieved and/or lack of response to prior therapy) were the main drivers for therapy switching among all patients (54 % for eltrombopag vs. 57 % for romiplostim). Platelet counts at the last office visit showed improvement compared with counts at the initiation of either eltrombopag or romiplostim treatment. No significant differences were noted when comparing clinical outcomes between the eltrombopag and romiplostim treatment cohorts. Our results suggest that switching to the other TPO-RA may be beneficial if there is inadequate response to treatment with the initial TPO-RA.