Avatrombopag for treating immune thrombocytopenia in children

Avatrombopag is in clinical development for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in children with a duration of ≥6 months that have had a poor response to a previous treatment. ITP is an autoimmune disease (where the immune system attacks the body instead of foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses), where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys platelets, which are cells that help blood to clot. Individuals with ITP can experience easy or excessive bruising and bleeding. In children, ITP often occurs after a viral infection. There are several challenges associated with current treatment methods for ITP. These challenges include treatment administration and variation in patient responses to treatment. In addition, ITP often returns (relapse) despite having treatment and there are some side effects or undesirable effects (associated toxicities). An unmet medical need currently exists in managing ITP among children and adolescents.