Avatrombopag in the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adults with chronic liver disease scheduled to undergo a procedure: a profile of its use in the USA

Avatrombopag (Doptelet®) is the first thrombopoietin receptor agonist approved in the USA to treat thrombocytopenia in adults with chronic liver disease who are scheduled to undergo a procedure. It is an important new development to mitigate the risk of bleeding and improve post-procedure management in this patient population. Relative to placebo, oral avatrombopag significantly increased the proportion of patients who did not require a platelet transfusion or rescue procedure up to 7 days after the scheduled procedure. Its efficacy was not altered by the bleeding risk associated with the procedure, or by patient age, sex, race, or degree of hepatic impairment. Avatrombopag has a convenient 5-day oral administration regimen and is well tolerated.