AM25-SN-23-L - FcRN Inhibitors – a New Era for Transfusion Medicine?

Proposed Session Description: A major aspect of transfusion and apheresis medicine is the detection and management of pathologic IgG in various disease processes. Previous therapeutic options have included corticosteroids, chemotherapy, intravenous immune globulin, therapeutic plasma exchange, and anti-CD20 agents. With the emergence of a new drug-class – the Fraction crystallizable Receptor Neonatal (FcRN) Inhibitors – a potential sea-change in transfusion and apheresis medicine applications is emerging. Participants will learn of the pharmacology, clinical data, and emerging applications of approved and pipeline agents. Their potential includes reduction of pathogenic IgG leading to reduced severity for treatment-refractory immune thrombocytopenia, the reduced need for intrauterine transfusion and exchange transfusions in the setting of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). In contrast to therapeutic plasma exchange, which produces a non-specific removal effect that depletes beneficial proteins as well as pathologic, FcRN inhibitors specifically target IgG. Expert panelists will review the data and future of these agents from a transfusion medicine and apheresis perspective.