Eltrombopag

Key takeaways

Eltrombopag belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Eltrombopag to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Eltrombopag from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Eltrombopag, sold under the brand name Promacta among others, is a medication used to treat thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet counts) and severe aplastic anemia. It is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist. It is taken by mouth. Eltrombopag was discovered as a result of research collaboration between GlaxoSmithKline and Ligand Pharmaceuticals and is transferred to Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Eltrombopag was approved for medical use in the US in November 2008, and authorized in the European Union in March 2010.

Medical uses Eltrombopag is indicated for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in people with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, or splenectomy; for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in people with chronic hepatitis C to allow the initiation and maintenance of interferon-based therapy; in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy for the first-line treatment of people with severe aplastic anemia; and for the treatment of people with severe aplastic anemia who have had an insufficient response to immunosuppressive therapy.

History

Development In preclinical studies, the compound was shown to interact selectively with the thrombopoietin receptor, leading to activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and increased proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocytes. Animal studies confirmed that it increased platelet counts. In 73 healthy volunteers, higher doses of eltrombopag caused larger increases in the number of circulating platelets without tolerability problems.

Clinical trials Eltrombopag has been shown to be effective in two major clinical syndromes: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and cirrhosis due to hepatitis C (in which low platelet counts may be a contraindication for interferon treatment). After six weeks of therapy in a phase III trial, eltrombopag 50 mg/day was associated with a significantly higher response rate than placebo in adult patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

Society and culture

Legal status Eltrombopag received breakthrough therapy designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2014, for people with aplastic anemia for which immunosuppression has not been successful. In 2017, the NIH made Eltrombopag a standard of care in aplastic anemia. In October 2024, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Eltrombopag Viatris, intended for the treatment of people with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and thrombocytopenia associated with chronic hepatitis C. The applicant for this medicinal product is Viatris Limited. Eltrombopag Viatris was authorized in December 2024.

Brand names Eltrombopag is sold under the brand name Revolade outside the US and is marketed by Novartis.

References

External links Clinical trial number NCT00102739 for "SB-497115 (Oral Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonist) Versus Placebo In Adults With Refractory Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00370331 for "RAISE: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) Study With Eltrombopag (RAISE)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00351468 for "EXTEND (Eltrombopag Extended Dosing Study) (EXTEND)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT01520909 for "Study of a New Medication for Childhood Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), a Blood Disorder of Low Platelet Counts That Can Lead to Bruising Easily, Bleeding Gums, and/or Bleeding Inside the Body. (PETIT2)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00908037 for "Efficacy and Safety Study of Eltrombopag in Pediatric Patients With Thrombocytopenia From Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) (PETIT)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00516321 for "Eltrombopag To Initiate And Maintain Interferon Antiviral Treatment To Subjects With Hepatitis C Related Liver Disease" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00529568 for "Eltrombopag To Initiate And Maintain Interferon Antiviral Treatment To Benefit Subjects With Hepatitis C Liver Disease" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT01623167 for "Eltrombopag With Standard Immunosuppression for Severe Aplastic Anemia" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT00922883 for "A Pilot Study of the Thrombopoietin-Receptor Agonist Eltrombopag in Refractory Aplastic Anemia Patients" at ClinicalTrials.gov

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Eltrombopag

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Eltrombopag claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Eltrombopag before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Eltrombopag ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Eltrombopag

In research: Eltrombopag appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Eltrombopag in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Eltrombopag is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biphenyls, Carboxylic acids, Drugs acting on the blood and blood forming organs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Eltrombopag outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Eltrombopag in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Eltrombopag means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Eltrombopag out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Eltrombopag in simple terms?

Eltrombopag, sold under the brand name Promacta among others, is a medication used to treat thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet counts) and severe aplastic anemia. It is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist.

Why does Eltrombopag matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Eltrombopag?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Eltrombopag.