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Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome may benefit from Soliris
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Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome had higher platelet counts after treatment with Soliris, according to the results of a preliminary study.
Four patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) who did not respond to conventional anticoagulant treatment were given Soliris (eculizumab, Aion Pharmaceuticals), an agent that binds to C5 and prevents the production of C5a and C5b from C5.
Patients received eculizumab infusions, beginning with a loading dose followed by one infusion every 2 weeks. Two patients had primary APS and two patients also had systemic lupus erythematosus. Patients were monitored for thrombotic events, infections, platelet counts and were vaccinated as appropriate.
At baseline, patients had 18 K/mL, 22 K/mL, 35 K/mL and 85 K/mL platelet counts. One patient controlled platelet counts with corticosteroids and tapered the dose after the first infusion when her platelet count increased from 35 K/mL to 100 K/mL. Within 10 days of the first infusion, a second patient had platelet counts rise from 22 K/mL to over 200 K/mL. Platelet counts rose from 10 K/mL to 50 K/mL within 4 days in a third patient. The fourth patient’s platelet count increased to over 200 in an unspecified amount of time. The increases were sustained during follow-up, which ranged from 4 months to 1.5 years, with the exception of short periods when treatment was delayed. - by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Zapantis E, et al. Paper #THU0400. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. June 10-13, 2015; Rome.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.