At the 40th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition investigators discussed an early hypothesis about Arginine (Arg) therapy as treatment for vaso-occlusive episdes (VOEs) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).
Almost 25 years later, Dr. Claudia Morris concluded 2022 by presenting phase 2 data at the 64th ASH Annual Meeting that demonstrated the therapy's benefit, and her original premise. Her team's phase 3 trial evaluating Arg is currently underway.
The primary outcome for the latest data was total parenteral opioid use in milligrams per kilo of IV morphine. Despite the unexpected interruptions of severe pain experienced by this patient population, treatments for acute pain related to sickle cell disease are lacking.