A new study reports that plerixafor, a drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in patients undergoing a bone marrow transplant, may also have promise for treating people who have WHIM syndrome, a rare immune deficiency. People with the syndrome are more susceptible to potentially life-threatening bacterial and viral infections, particularly human papillomavirus infections, which cause skin and genital warts and can lead to cancer.

The next step say investigators at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is to determine if long-term use of plerixafor, which is manufactured by Genzyme Corporation, is safe and effective in adults. If it is, they will consider conducting clinical studies of plerixafor in children with WHIM syndrome.

Source: NIH

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