Anagrelide is an effective platelet-lowering agent, but its role in the treatment of essential thrombocythaemia has yet to be fully

摘要

Anagrelide, an oral imidazoquinazoline agent, has platelet-lowering activity In nonrandomised trials, anagrelide reduced platelet counts in most patients with essential thrombocythaemia, including treatment-naive patients and those refractory to previous cytoreductive therapy. In a randomised trial, anagrelide plus low-dose aspirin showed similar reductions in platelet counts to hydroxy carbamide plus aspirin after 9 months' treatment However, anagrelide plus aspirin was inferior to hydroxy carbamide (hydroxyurea) plus aspirin in reducing the incidence of serious thrombohaemorrhagic complications Further data on the use of anagrelide without concomitant aspirin are required to confirm the role of anagrelide in essential thrombocythaemia.