What foods should not be consumed while taking Eltrombopag (Revlan)?

Eltrombopag is an oral thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist that stimulates platelet production by activating the TPO receptor of bone marrow megakaryocytes, thereby improving platelet levels in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and chronic liver disease-related thrombocytopenia. Reasonable dietary management is crucial for drug absorption and efficacy, because the minerals or ingredients in certain foods may affect the utilization of drugs in the body, thereby affecting the platelet-raising effect.

Eltrombopag binds to calcium ions when absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, reducing drug bioavailability. Therefore, avoid consuming milk, yogurt, cheese, whey protein drinks, calcium supplements, and nuts containing calcium while taking this medicine. Such high-calcium foods will form complexes with drugs that are difficult to absorb, causing the blood concentration of the drug to decrease, thus weakening the effect of the drug in promoting platelet production. Patients should pay special attention to this in their daily diet, especially when taking medication in the morning or after meals.

In addition to calcium, the absorption of eltrombopag may also be affected by divalent or trivalent metal ions such as iron, magnesium, and aluminum. For example, spinach, whole grains, dark chocolate, multivitamins, and antacids may interfere with drug absorption. In order to ensure the efficacy of the medicine, if these foods or medicines must be taken, they should be taken at least 2 hours apart from eltrombopag. This can reduce the chance of minerals binding to the medicine and ensure blood concentration and efficacy.

To optimize efficacy, eltrombopag is recommended to be taken on an empty stomach or 1 hour before a meal and 2 hours after a meal. The daily diet should be based on low-calcium and low-mineral foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, while avoiding high-calcium, high-iron or magnesium-rich supplements. Following the guidance of doctors and pharmacists for reasonable dietary management can not only improve drug absorption efficiency, but also reduce adverse reactions and make platelet levels more stable, thereby improving thrombocytopenia symptoms more safely and effectively.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/