LAUSR

ASPIRE, a three-part, international, phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01440374), investigated eltrombopag efficacy and safety in patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia, and grade 4 thrombocytopenia (<25 × 109 platelets/L). Approximately 30-65% of patients in this open-label extension phase experienced clinically relevant thrombocytopenic events; no conclusions could be made regarding long-term efficacy (non-randomized design, no placebo control), and survival rates may simply reflect advanced disease. Long-term safety was consistent with the double-blind phase and contrasted with earlier SUPPORT study findings in higher-risk patients, suggesting that eltrombopag may have a role in treating thrombocytopenia in patients with low-/intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.