SAN DIEGO — A new drug helps slow accelerated red blood cell destruction that is a characteristic feature of sickle cell disease, Kenneth I. Ataga, M.D., reported at a press briefing during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.
The drug, known as ICA-17043, is part of new class of drugs known as Gardos channel inhibitors. Potassium loss from red blood cells (RBCs) may occur via the Gardos channel, explained Dr. Ataga of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. ICA-17043 blocks this channel and prevents accelerated potassium efflux, which in turn prevents dehydration of RBCs.
In a 12-week, multicenter, phase II study, he and his associates randomized 80 patients with sickle cell anemia to one of three groups: low dose ICA-17043 (6 mg/day), high dose ICA17043 (10 mg/day), or placebo. Total hemoglobin increased significantly from baseline among patients in the high-dose group and markers of RBC destruction decreased, compared with those in the placebo group.