The Russian Ministry of Health has issued a registration certificate to the Russian pharmaceutical company Velpharm Group for the thrombopoietin receptor agonist Eltrombopag Velpharm (eltrombopag). The medication used as a second-line treatment for chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) when standard treatments haven’t worked or are not suitable. The original eltrombopag was discovered and developed by Novartis.
As the Velpharm press service informed GxP News, Eltrombopag therapy is prescribed if first-line drug therapy is ineffective or if the patient has complications and contraindications to glucocorticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins. The drug can be used for the treatment of severe aplastic anemia ans some other blood diseases in adults and children 3 years of age and older.
In addition, it is prescribed to adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in order to prepare the body for antiviral therapy or enhance the effect of the ongoing treatment. This application expands therapeutic possibilities and helps to achieve better results in the fight against the disease.
Velpharm added that the demand for thrombopoietin receptor agonists continues to grow. In 2024, eltrombopag was among the top 10 INNs for import substitution, and in January-May of this year, the main suppliers of the tablets quadrupled the shipment of this product in natural units compared to the same period last year.
“Orphan disease therapy is always a serious financial burden on the budget. That is why medicines for such diseases are a priority in import substitution,” Velpharm added.
The original eltrombopag is produced by the Swiss company Novartis, although it was initially developed by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. Novartis acquired the rights to the drug and launched it in the US market under the trade name Promacta. The drug was approved by the FDA for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adults in 2008, and then for children in 2015. In Russia, it is registered under the name Revolade.
Eltrombopag is included in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED). According to the State Register of Medicines, ten eltrombopag-based drugs have been registered in Russia.
