Agents for preventing and treating thrombocytopenia

Patent Number: 7,268,110

Parathyroid hormone is a polypeptide secreted by the parathyroid gland in order to regulate calcium concentrations in the blood. Low calcium levels stimulate secretion of parathyroid hormone which in turn activates osteoclasts to release calcium deposits from bone.

The use of parathyroid hormone to modulate stem cells has been demonstrated clinically by Ballen et al who showed that administration of the hormone increases stem cell mobilization.

In the current patent the use of parathyroid hormone for skewing hematopoiesis towards production of more megakaryocytes (platelets) is covered. This is important because after myeloablation patients may suffer uncontrolled bleeding due to lack of platelets (thrombocytopenia).

The patent has 3 independent claims covering methods of increasing platelet numbers in patients treated with various bone marrow ablating regimens or various analogues of parathyroid hormone.

View this patent on the USPTO website.