Oprelvekin

Oprelvekin, the active ingredient in Neumega®, is recombinant Interleukin-11 (IL-11), which is produced in Escherichia coli (E. coli) by recombinant DNA technology. With a molecular mass of approximately 19,000 daltons, the non-glycosylated protein is 177 amino acids in length in comparison to the natural IL-11, which is 178 amino acid long. However, it displays comparable biological activity compared to the natural IL-11 in vitro and in vivo. Oprelvekin works by stimulating megakaryocytopoiesis and thrombopoiesis. In mice and nonhuman primate studies of animals with moderate and severe myelosuppression, in addition to compromised hematopoiesis, oprelvekin was shown to potently induce thrombopoiesis and improve platelet nadirs and accelerated platelet recoveries compared to controls. In animal studies, oprelvekin was also shown to regulate intestinal epithelium growth by enhancing healing of gastrointestinal lesions, inhibit adiopegenesis and macrophageal released pro-inflammatory cytokines, and induce acute phase protein synthesis.