The USFDA has approved a new medicine to treat polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder in which the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. Rogeginterferon-alfa-2b-njft is the first FDA-authorized drug for polycythemia vera that patients can use independent of their treatment history and the first interferon therapy specifically for polycythemia vera that is approved after seven and a half years of evaluation. What is polycythemia vera? How does the drug work?
Ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft, an interferon alfa-2b, is the active ingredient in the drug that functions by binding to interferon alfa/beta receptors (IFNAR) on the cells in the bone marrow. This triggers a chain of events that causes the bone marrow to make fewer red blood cells. The interferon is monopegylated (attached to polyethylene glycol), allowing it to stay in the body for a longer duration. Application: It…
