Marta Figueiredo, PhD, managing science editor —

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the one-time gene therapy Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec-rvox) for eligible adults with severe hemophilia A.  Roctavian now becomes the first gene therapy to win FDA approval for the treatment of hemophilia A in the U.S. “Today’s approval of Roctavian builds…

Weekly use of the experimental therapy efanesoctocog alfa maintains therapeutic levels of factor VIII (FVIII) — the missing clotting factor in hemophilia A — and significantly improves physical and joint health, while reducing pain, in adolescents and adults with a severe form of the disease. These are the…

Treatment with an antibody designed to specifically block the anti-blood clotting, or anticoagulant, activity of an enzyme called activated protein C (APC) significantly reduced bleeding and related mortality in hemophilia A and hemophilia B mouse models, a study shows. The antibody, called HAPC1573, was also found to improve…

An innovative gel containing two snake venom proteins known to help blood clotting, rapidly and effectively forms stable clots and reduces bleeding even in the presence of a blood-clotting disorder, as is the case in hemophilia, a preclinical study shows. The gel, which transitions to a liquid form below…

ASC Therapeutics has joined forces with Charles River to scale the manufacturing of ASC618, its second-generation virus-based gene therapy for hemophilia A. The agreement expands upon their current collaboration, begun in 2019 that focused on achieving Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-virus manufacturing and establishing processes for adeno-associated virus (AAV) production…

A single dose of the experimental gene therapy Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) prevents bleeds and the need for preventive treatment, or prophylaxis, for up to six years in men with severe hemophilia A, according to updated data from a Phase 1/2 trial. “With every year of observation in this…

Extended half-life (EHL) blood-clotting factor products are safe and effective at preventing bleeds during minor and major surgeries in people with hemophilia, according to a real-world study in Nordic countries. While dosing recommendations in the perioperative period, or the period around surgery, vary across Nordic hemophilia treatment centers…

The effectiveness of liver-directed, viral-based gene transfer — the most used experimental gene therapy approach for hemophilia A — is significantly reduced in mouse models of hemophilia A relative to healthy mice, a study shows. This limitation was associated with a pronounced reduction in fenestrations — cell surface…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has agreed to review a request by CSL Behring to approve the potential gene therapy EtranaDez (etranacogene dezaparvovec) for people with hemophilia B. The request, in the form of a marketing authorization application or MAA, will be reviewed under the EMA’s accelerated assessment, meaning…

A multi-institute research collaboration has received a $12 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to understand what’s behind limitations in gene therapies currently being tested in people with hemophilia A. The goal is to use this information to develop safer and long-lasting gene therapies…