Photo by Bill Branson
Vials of drug
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended expanding the approved indication for romiplostim (Nplate®) to include children.
The CHMP is recommending authorization of romiplostim to treat patients age 1 and older who have chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) that is refractory to other treatments.
The committee’s opinion will be reviewed by the European Commission (EC).
If the EC agrees with the CHMP, a centralized marketing authorization will be granted that will be valid in the European Union. Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein will make corresponding decisions on the basis of the EC’s decision.
The EC typically makes a decision within 67 days of the CHMP’s recommendation.
The recommendation for romiplostim was based on 5 studies of the drug in children with ITP. This includes 4 completed studies—a phase 1/2, a phase 3, and 2 long-term safety and efficacy studies—and 1 ongoing long-term study.
Results from the phase 1/2 trial were published in Blood in 2011. Phase 3 results were published in The Lancet in April of last year.
And results from 2 of the long-term trials were presented at 22nd Congress of the European Hematology Association in June (abstract P367 and abstract P727).
