P-selectin blockade in the treatment of painful vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell disease: A spotlight on crizanlizumab

Abstract

Microvascular vaso-occlusion driven pain crisis is the hallmark of sickle cell disease with profound morbidity and increased mortality. Selectins, most notably P-selectins have an integral role in this phenomenon. P-selection was first identified in 1989. In 2019, after 3 decades of basic, translational, and clinical work with this pathway, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a P-selectin antibody, crizanlizumab to reduce frequency of pain crisis in patients more than 16 years with sickle cell disease. We review the funda-mentals of P-selectin pathobiology, P-selectin blocking agents, clinical data with the use of crizanlizumab and prospects of this novel class of drugs in the context of other treatments for painful vaso-occlusive episodes.