NICE Recommends Doptelet for Low Platelet Counts in Pre-Surgery Liver Disease

The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Dova Pharmaceuticals’ Doptelet (avatrombopag) as an option for treating severe thrombocytopenia in adults with chronic liver disease having planned invasive procedures.

Defined as a platelet count of below 50,000 per microliter of blood, thrombocytopenia causes bleeding into the tissues, bruising and slow blood clotting after injury.

NICE said the oral therapy would likely save the National Health Service money by reducing the need for an intravenous platelet transfusion and avoiding transfusion-related complications.