The platelet-boosting drug eltrombopag, marketed as Promacta, has been approved for use in pediatric patients aged 1 year or older who have the rare blood disorder chronic immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP).
Promacta can be used in children with ITP who haven鈥檛 had good results with other medications or after surgery to remove the spleen. The approval 鈥渆mphasizes the FDA鈥檚 commitment to fully developing treatments in areas of pediatric hematology and oncology,鈥� Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the agency鈥檚 Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement ().