ls or your body making less blood cells. The mild form of these bone marrow changes is called “increased reticulin.” It is not known if this may progress to a more severe form called “fibrosis.” The mild form may cause no problems while the severe form may cause life-threatening blood problems. Signs of bone marrow changes may show up as abnormalities in your blood tests. Your healthcare provider will decide if abnormal blood tests mean that you should have bone marrow tests or if you should stop taking Nplate.
Worsening low blood platelet count (thrombocytopenia) and risk of bleeding shortly after stopping Nplate. When you stop receiving Nplate, your low blood platelet count (thrombocytopenia) may become worse than before you started receiving Nplate. These effects are most likely to happen shortly after stopping Nplate and may last about 2 weeks. The lower platelet counts during this time period may increase your risk of bleeding, especially if you are taking a blood thinner or other medicine that affects platelets. Your healthcare provider will check your blood platelet counts for at least two weeks after you stop taking Nplate. Call your healthcare provider right away to report any bruising or bleeding.
High platelet counts and higher chance for blood clots. You have a higher chance of getting a blood clot if your platelet count is too high during treatment with Nplate. You may have severe complications or die from some forms of blood clots, such as clots that spread to the lungs or that cause heart attacks or strokes. Your healthcare provider will check your blood platelet counts and change your dose or stop Nplate if your platelet counts get too high.
Worsening of blood cancers. Nplate is not for use in patients with blood cancer or a precancerous condition called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). If you have one of these conditions, Nplate may worsen your cancer or condition and may cause you to die sooner.
When you are being treated with Nplate, your healthcare provider will closely monitor your Nplate dose and blood tests, including platelet counts.
Nplate is available only after you and your healthcare provider agree to join a program that is intended to help in the safe use of Nplate. This program is called the “Nplate NEXUS Program.”
Only a healthcare provider can inject a dose of Nplate. Injection of too much Nplate may cause a dangerous increase in your blood platelet count and serious side effects.
During Nplate therapy, your healthcare provider may change your Nplate dose, depending upon the change in your blood platelet count. You must have blood platelet counts done before you start Nplate, during Nplate therapy, and after Nplate therapy is stopped.
Nplate is used to try to keep your platelet count about 50,000 per microliter in order to lower the risk for bleeding. Nplate is not used to make your platelet count normal.
See “What are the possible side effects of Nplate?” for other side effects of Nplate.
What is Nplate?
Nplate is a man-made protein medicine used to treat low blood platelet counts in adults with chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), when other medicine to treat your ITP is not the best choice for you or surgery to remove the spleen has not worked well enough.
Nplate is only:
Prescribed by healthcare providers who are enrolled in the Nplate NEXUS Program.
Given to patients who are enrolled in the Nplate NEXUS Program.
Given by the enrolled healthcare provider or a provid |
