Heavy periods in teenage girls should prompt further evaluation for an underlying bleeding disorder, such as hemophilia, rather than simply being considered a normal part of adolescence, according to a call to action from an international group of experts. Heavy menstrual bleeding, or HMB, can sometimes be the first — or…
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A gene therapy that delivers instructions to produce a longer-lasting version of the clotting protein missing or deficient in hemophilia B may improve treatment effectiveness while maintaining a favorable safety profile, a study in mice suggests. Researchers in Belgium, working in a lab, combined the genetic instructions for a…
Nearly a quarter of hemophilia patients aged 50 and older in a prospective screening program at a large UK hemophilia center met criteria for frailty, a study found. All patients with frailty had other health conditions, and nearly 80% were taking five or more regular medications. Hemophilic arthropathy, or…
Caring for a child with hemophilia can bring emotional strain and disrupt family life even as advances in treatment make it easier to manage the disease, a study in the Netherlands found. Caregivers interviewed for the study generally valued the care they received at specialized hemophilia centers, but identified important…
In children with severe hemophilia A who are undergoing treatment to remove inhibitors, adding Hemlibra (emicizumab-KXWH) was associated with faster immune tolerance and fewer treated bleeds. Adding Hemlibra also did not increase direct treatment costs during immune tolerance induction, study data showed. The work was partially funded by…
Alvotech and Lotus Pharmaceutical are teaming up on plans to commercialize AVT87, a proposed biosimilar to Hemlibra (emicizumab). Lisa Graver, CEO of Alvotech, said in a company press release that the companies “look forward to working together” to broaden access to high-quality biologics. Hemlibra is an…
Acquired hemophilia can leave patients and their families feeling fearful and out of control. Clear information, ongoing medical follow-up, and good support systems are important for helping them regain confidence and a sense of normalcy, according to a study from Sweden based on interviews with patients and their family…
Routine preventive, or prophylactic, treatment reduces bleeding rates in children with severe hemophilia A, regardless of whether prophylaxis is started before or after significant joint bleeds occur, a small Brazilian study found. Data showed that children in the South American nation who started preventive therapy earlier had fewer joint…
Upfront treatment with Hemlibra (emicizumab-KXWH) may help reduce hospitalization costs associated with treating bleeds in older adults with acquired hemophilia A (AHA), according to a study. While Hemlibra itself carries a hefty price tag, economic models indicate that using the therapy may help shorten hospital stays and reduce…
Switching clotting factor products did not cause new inhibitors (neutralizing antibodies that can prevent the treatment from working) to develop in previously treated patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A or B who had no detectable inhibitors at the time of switching. That’s according to data from ATHN…
