Technology evaluation: thrombopoietin, Genentech/Pharmacia & Upjohn.

Thrombopoietin is a protein factor that promotes growth and platelet production and can be used to avert thrombocytopenia, which can cause uncontrolled bleeding in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Genentech, having cloned the gene encoding thrombopoietin, are developing a recombinant protein technology in collaboration with Pharmacia & Upjohn for the potential treatment of thrombocytopenia in chemotherapy patients [274038]. The technology entered phase II/III clinical trials in 1998 and these were ongoing as of February 2000 [355591].