Intravenous Immunoglobin Is better known within ITP patients as IVIg. IVIg is a solution of human donated plasma proteins and in particular IgG antibodies with a broad spectrum of antibody activities. These are made from hundreds and thousands of donations.

IVIg is administered intravenously or directly into the patient’s vein. Depending on the dosage, an infusion can take between two and nine hours.

This is considered a short-term solution for patients with ITP as the effects of the treatment only last a couple of weeks.

There are also limitations to treating ITP through this method due to product shortages.

IVIg side effects include:

• Low grade fevers or headaches
• Muscle and joint pain
• Lethargy or weakness

A mixture of both IVIg and Corticosteroids can be administered simultaneously and in the short-term can assist with raising platelet counts.

The number of new people diagnosed with ITP in Australia is 3.3 per 100,000 – or approximately 800 cases in Australia per year.

The number of people with ITP at any given time in Australia is 9.5 per 100,000 – or approximately 2,375 Australians.