Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education
Scientific literature and patient education texts
Hydroxyurea Therapy for Sickle Cell Anemia
source: Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
year: 2015
authors: Patrick T. McGann, Russell E. Ware
summary/abstract:Introduction:
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a severe, inherited hemoglobin disorder affecting 100,000 persons in the US and millions worldwide. Hydroxyurea, a once daily oral medication, has emerged as the primary disease-modifying therapy for SCA. The accumulated body of evidence over 30 years demonstrates that hydroxyurea is a safe and effective therapy for SCA, but hydroxyurea remains underutilized for a variety of reasons.
Areas covered:
In this review, we summarize the available evidence regarding the pharmacology, clinical, and laboratory benefits, and safety of hydroxyurea therapy for the treatment of SCA. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader a comprehensive understanding of hydroxyurea and to reinforce the fact that hydroxyurea is a safe and effective medication for the treatment of SCA.
Expert opinion:
In our opinion, hydroxyurea therapy should be considered standard-of-care for SCA, representing an essential component of patient management. Early initiation and broader use of hydroxyurea will alter the natural history of SCA, so affected children can live longer and healthier lives. In addition, hydroxyurea use should be extended to low-resource settings such as sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden of SCA and the need for hydroxyurea is arguably the greatest.
DOI: 10.1517/14740338.2015.1088827
read more full text
Related Content
-
Novel use of Hydroxyurea in an African Region with Malaria (NOHARM): a trial for children with sickle cell anemiaHydroxyurea treatment is recommended for...
-
What Should Teens Ask Their Doctors About Hydroxyureahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZn15uXQ...
-
Effects of Hydroxyurea Treatment for Patients With Hemoglobin SC DiseaseAlthough hemoglobin SC (HbSC) disease is...
-
Developing Hydroxyurea, the First FDA-Approved Therapy for Sickle Cell Diseasehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kIz5ZKy...
-
Effort set to help sickle cell patients manage medsVanderbilt University Medical Center is ...
-
How to Talk to Your Child About Hydroxyureahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_apTt2j0...
-
SCA Therapy Hydroxyurea Doesn’t Boost Malaria Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa, Study FindsHydroxyurea, a treatment recommended for...
To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.