Drug Found to Replenish Blood Platelet Levels After Chemotherapy
From Times staff and wire reports
A growth factor produced by genetic engineering techniques can restore levels of blood platelets--important in clotting--after they have been reduced by cancer chemotherapy, researchers from UCLA, Emory University and Duke University reported at the same oncology meeting. Low platelet levels can lead to bruising, internal bleeding and strokes.
The drug, called MGDF and manufactured by Amgen of Thousand Oaks, improved platelet counts in lung cancer patients by 70% compared to a placebo.
