Complement inhibitors have positive, sustained benefits for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), according to findings published in Therapeutic Advances in Hematology. Hae Sun Suh, PhD, and colleagues reviewed 27 prospective interventional studies for a total population of 912 patients with PNH. Treatment-naïve patients who received complement inhibitors had a pooled estimate for a reduction in lactate dehydrogenase levels from baseline of −1,462.0 U/L with treatment for 26 weeks or less and −1,696.5 U/L with treatment for more than 26 weeks. Mean hemoglobin levels rose in each group, and treatment with complement inhibitors prevented the need for transfusion in at least 50% of patients with PNH in all treatment periods. The researchers saw clinically meaningful improvements in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue scale scores both before and after 26 weeks, with a pooled estimate of 6.8 (95% CI, 6.0-7.6) and 9.5 (95% CI, 7.0-12.0), respectively.
