eltrombopag
Meaning of eltrombopag: Eltrombopag is a medication that stimulates platelet production in the bone marrow to treat certain chronic low platelet conditions.
Definition of eltrombopag
Eltrombopag is a medication belonging to a class of drugs called thrombopoietin receptor agonists, which act on the same receptor that the body's natural hormone thrombopoietin uses to stimulate platelet production in the bone marrow. By activating this receptor, eltrombopag increases the number of platelets the bone marrow produces and releases into the bloodstream.
Eltrombopag is used to treat chronic immune thrombocytopenia, a condition in which the immune system destroys platelets faster than the body can replace them, leading to a persistently low platelet count and an increased risk of bruising and bleeding. Rather than addressing the immune destruction directly, eltrombopag works by boosting platelet production to help offset this loss.
Eltrombopag is also used in certain other conditions involving low platelet counts, and because it acts on bone marrow production broadly, its use is generally accompanied by periodic monitoring of blood counts and liver function.
Used in a sentence
Eltrombopag was started to raise the platelet count in the patient with chronic immune thrombocytopenia.
Good to know
Eltrombopag raises platelet counts by increasing bone marrow production rather than by stopping the immune destruction of platelets that causes chronic immune thrombocytopenia in the first place.