Avatrombopag efficacy

Avatrombopag is the first oral treatment option for patients with chronic liver disease, allowing a large number of patients to avoid platelet transfusions before surgery by increasing platelet counts to optimal levels above 50,000 per microliter. Two major studies of435 patients with low platelet levels due to long-term liver disease found that avatropopag was effective in raising platelet levels before invasive surgery.

The primary measure of effectiveness is the number of patients who do not require platelet transfusions or other treatments ("recovery procedures") to prevent excessive bleeding for up to 7 days after starting avatropopag treatment and for up to 7 days after invasive procedures. In these studies,88% of patients who received 40 mg of avatrombopag daily did not require blood transfusions or rescue procedures, compared with 36% of patients who received placebo (dummy treatment). Among patients with more severe thrombocytopenia, 67% of those taking 60 mg of avatropopag daily did not require transfusions or rescue procedures, compared with 29% of those taking placebo. Avatrombopag thus provides a useful alternative to other available treatments in both indications.

The original drug of avatrombopag has been launched in China and has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance, but it is only reimbursed for eligible patients. The price of a common specification of 20mg*15 tablets may be more than 7,000 yuan per box, while the original drug of avatrombopag marketed overseas is even more expensive. It is understood that there are generic drugs of avatrombopag available overseas, and their pharmaceutical ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drug. For example, the price of a box of 20mg*30 tablets in Laos pharmaceutical production specifications may be around RMB 1,000 (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates).