Romiplostim (Nplate®)

Romiplostim is a man-made protein medicine used to treat low blood platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) in adults with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Romiplostim works by causing the cells in the bone marrow to produce more platelets. It should not be used to treat thrombocytopenia caused by other conditions and may worsen pre-existing blood cancers or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

How to Take Romiplostim

Romiplostim is given as a subcutaneous (subQ, under the skin) injection once a week. The dose is based on your body size and platelet count. Your platelet count will be checked each week and the dose of medication will be changed accordingly.

Possible Side Effects of Romiplostim

There are a number of things you can do to manage the side effects of romiplostim. Talk to your care team about these recommendations. They can help you decide what will work best for you. These are some of the most common or important side effects:

Bone Marrow Changes

Long-term use of romiplostim may cause changes in your bone marrow. These can include an increase in reticulin. Increased reticulin is unlikely to cause problems, but it is not known if this can lead to a more serious condition called bone marrow fibrosis, or scarring of the bone marrow, causing it to produce fewer blood cells. Your healthcare provider will monitor your blood tests for changes in your bone marrow.

Muscle or Joint Pain/Aches and Headache

Your care team can recommend medication and other strategies to relieve pain.

Blood Clots

This medication can increase the risk of blood clots (DVT or PE/pulmonary embolism) or blood clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke. Symptoms can include: swelling, redness or pain in an extremity, chest pain or pressure, pain in your arm, back, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, numbness or weakness on one side of the body, trouble talking, confusion or mental status changes. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact your oncology care team immediately or go to an emergency room.

Your healthcare provider will monitor your platelet count to attempt to prevent it from getting too high. A high platelet count can increase the risk of developing a blood clot. Blood clots can occur anywhere in the body, but occur most frequently in the calves (leg) or the lungs.

Low Platelet Count After Stopping the Medication

In clinical trials, some patients experienced lower platelet counts when the medication was stopped than they had before taking the medication. This side effect is most likely to happen shortly after stopping romiplostim and may last about 2 weeks. This lower platelet count increases your risk of bleeding, so precautions should be taken, and any bruising or bleeding should be reported to your healthcare provider.

Less common but important side effects can include:

• Dizziness, indigestion, insomnia, and tingling in the hands and feet: Notify your provider of any of these side effects.

Reproductive Concerns

Exposure of an unborn child to this medication could cause birth defects, so you should not become pregnant or father a child while on this medication. Effective birth control is necessary during treatment. If you become pregnant notify your provider. Even if your menstrual cycle stops or you believe you are not producing sperm, you could still be fertile and conceive. You should not breastfeed while taking this medication.