Systematic Review of Crizanlizumab: a New Parenteral Option to Reduce Vaso ‐occlusive Pain Crises in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

This article reviews the evidence pertaining to crizanlizumab in SCD by searching records in Medline, Embase, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. Crizanlizumab, a P‐selectin inhibitor, mitigates the microvascular vaso‐occlusion in SCD. In the multi‐center, randomized, double‐blind SUSTAIN trial, a higher dose of crizanlizumab decreased the incidence of VOC by 45% and prolonged the median time to the first and second VOC. A post hoc subgroup analysis demonstrated that the proportion of patients who had no VOC incidence during the study period was greater in the crizanlizumab group, and this benefit was consistent regardless of concomitant hydroxyurea use, prior categorized history of VOC frequency, or SCD genotype. Crizanlizumab had a safety profile comparable to placebo. There are multiple ongoing clinical trials trying to establish its roles in pediatric patients with SCD and its eff ects on alleviating other SCD‐related complications. As the first parenteral option for SCD, providers need to formulate administration logistics to improve patients’ access to crizanlizumab. Current available data suggests crizanlizumab is a promising agent to reduce VOC in patients with SCD.
Source: Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: REVIEW OF THERAPEUTICS Source Type: research