Abstract: Objective To compare the efficacy of porcine and rabbit antithymocyte globulins (ATG) in the treatment of severe
aplastic anemia (SAA). Methods We reviewed the clinical data of 43 SAA patients receiving porcine ALG treatment and 32
patients receiving rabbit ATG treatment between 2004 and 2013 in our hospital. The overall response rates of the patients at 6
month were compared, and the patients’ survival in the two groups was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results
The overall response rates at 6 months was significantly higher in porcine ALG group than in rabbit ATG group (79.07% versus
56.25% , P=0.034). The 5-year overall survival was also higher in porcine ALG group than in rabbit ATG group, but this
difference was not statistically significant (86.047% versus 72.878%, P=0.190). Conclusions Porcine ALG is superior over rabbit
ATG in terms of hematological response but is comparable with rabbit ATG in view of the patients’ survival and safety.