Effectiveness and Safety of Rabbit Anti-thymocyte Globulin in Japanese Patients with Aplastic Anemia

Overview

Journal Int J Hematol

Specialty Hematology

Date 2013 Aug 22

PMID 23963878

Citations 10

Authors

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto

Naoshi Obara

Naoki Kurita

Mamiko Sakata-Yanagimoto

Hidekazu Nishikii

Yasuhisa Yokoyama

Kazumi Suzukawa

Yuichi Hasegawa

Shigeru Chiba

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine A is the standard treatment for aplastic anemia (AA). The ATG formulation in Japan was changed from horse ATG [Lymphoglobulin(®) (LG)] to rabbit ATG [Thymoglobulin(®) (TG)] in 2009. Since then, 12 patients with AA have been treated with TG. Here, we summarize the effectiveness and safety of TG in comparison with data from 14 AA patients treated with LG before April 2009. One subject treated with LG but none treated with TG terminated the treatment due to a grade III adverse effect. The overall 6-month response rate after IST was similar for LG and TG (67 and 75 %). Infection was noted in five (38 %) and four (33 %) subjects treated with LG and TG, respectively. The initial response rate was significantly higher in the early-treatment group treated within a year of diagnosis than in the late-treatment group, who were treated more than a year after diagnosis (85 vs. 29 %, respectively), as reported previously, without apparent differences between the LG and TG groups. We conclude that TG at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day for 5 days is effective and safe in Japanese patients with AA.

Citing Articles

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Partial SAA patients benefit from delayed response of IST.

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First-line immunosuppressive therapy with rATG and CsA for severe aplastic anemia: 15 years' experience.

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Eltrombopag in Combination with Rabbit Anti-thymocyte Globulin/Cyclosporine A in Immunosuppressive Therapy-naïve Patients with Aplastic Anemia in Japan.

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