<qa>  What is the protein made by the body that is important for normal production of platelets by theThrombopoietin TPO is a protein made by the body that is important for normal production of platelets by the bone marrow. TPO may also be able to stimulate bone marrow stem cells to produce red cells and white cells. TPO cannot be given by mouth, and as an alternative, a drug, eltrombopag, has been designed that acts in the same way as TPO but is stable and active when given by mouth. Eltrombopag has been shown to safely increase platelet numbers in healthy volunteers and in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura ITP. It has been recently granted accelerated approval by FDA on November 20, 2008 for the treatment of patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura ITP who have had an insufficient response to standard therapies. 