News

Among its corporate goals for 2018 announced recently, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said it will continue to clinically develop the investigational RNA therapy fitusiran to treat hemophilia. Fitusiran, also known as ALN-AT3SC, is an RNAi therapeutic agent that targets a protein called antithrombin — which inhibits blood clotting — while increasing production of the…

Catalyst Biosciences has amended the protocol of its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial investigating the highly potent recombinant human factor IX variant CB 2679d in previously treated hemophilia B patients. The amendment has shortened the study’s duration, which is a dose-escalation study to investigate the safety and drug and organism responses (pharmacokinetics…

Catalyst Biosciences has begun enrolling patients in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of marzeptacog alfa (activated) as a preventive treatment for hemophilia A or B. Some patients develop immune responses — or inhibitors — to clotting factor treatments, preventing the therapies from being able to stop bleeding. Catalyst’s therapy, also…

A web-based software to help personalize dosing regimens for some hemophilia A patients has received marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 510(k) marketing clearance was granted to Shire, the developer, following its submission of a “premarket notification,” which is necessary if a new device is…

A novel clinical study called “The Irish Personalized Approach to the Treatment of Hemophilia (iPATH)” will seek to investigate the potential of new personalized treatment approaches in hemophilia by tailoring care based on the needs of individual patients. The collaborative study will be led by the Irish Hemophilia…

Tremeau Pharmaceuticals has received guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how to conduct a pivotal Phase 3 trial exploring rofecoxib (TRM-201) in patients with hemophilia-associated joint pain. The advice was offered during a formal meeting with the agency, where both parties agreed on the design…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the hold on clinical studies with fitusiran, an investigational therapy for hemophilia, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced. “We are pleased with the FDA’s decision to lift the clinical hold, as fitusiran holds the potential to help improve the lives of people…

A new analysis of two Phase 3 clinical trials confirms that extending preventive treatment with Alprolix is safe and leads to markedly decreases in bleeding episodes of severe hemophilia B patients. The results were recently presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH)…

Data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials showed that long-term weekly use of Eloctate can improve bleeding protection while reducing joint symptoms and treatment-associated burden in patients with hemophilia A. Administration of 65 IU/kg of Eloctate per week every 7 days has demonstrated to be sufficient to sustain the required therapeutic effects. These new clinical data further support the prophylactic, or preventive, use of Eloctate, which is currently not indicated for weekly dosing. The findings were the subject of a poster presentation titled “Clinical Outcomes of Weekly Prophylaxis with rFVIIIFc: Longitudinal Analysis of the A-LONG and ASPIRE Study Population” during the 59th ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition that was held in Atlanta, GA. The analysis included clinical data collected from 43 patients older than 12 years, who were treated with weekly dosing of Eloctate for a median time of 3.1 years. All the patients received the treatment during the Phase 3 A-LONG study (NCT01181128) and ASPIRE (NCT01454739) long-term extension study. The data revealed that patients who changed from episodic treatment to weekly prophylaxis with Eloctate experienced a change in median annualized bleeding rates (ABR) of -23.7. In 19 patients who were always on a weekly regimen during the study, the treatment changed their mean ABR from 29 before the study to 1.7 during the trial. This new treatment regimen also provided protection from spontaneous bleeds and joint bleeds, promoting reduced median ABR even when compared to patients who did not receive the weekly regimen. “One of the challenges for people with severe hemophilia A can be treatment every few days with inadequate bleed protection,” Maha Radhakrishnan, MD, senior vice president of medical at Bioverativ, a global biopharmaceutical company that focuses on hemophilia and other rare blood disorders, said in a press release. “We are committed to improving patient outcomes and continue to explore how Eloctate can meaningfully make a difference for patients with the potential for longer dosing intervals that could provide continued joint health improvement.” All participants adhered to the weekly dosing regimen. Indeed, the majority of patients who initiated weekly treatment with Eloctate during the study decided to stay on that regimen. According to the World Federation of Hemophilia guidelines, prophylactic treatment with clotting factor replacement therapy is the better approach to manage severe hemophilia A. However, such treatment commonly requires injections three times per week, which can represent a major burden for the patients. Overall, the data suggests that weekly Eloctate dosing may be an effective prophylaxis regimen for patients with hemophilia A, with improved bleeding protection and reduced treatment burden. “These data show the potential of Eloctate to make a difference for patients, to be able to extend their dosing intervals based on their needs, with improved joint health, and the possibility to reduce the burden of chronic treatment in patients with hemophilia,” said Armin Reininger, MD, PhD, head of medical and scientific affairs at Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi). Eloctate is a recombinant clotting factor VIII that was engineered based on Fc fusion technology to extend its stability in the body. It is marketed by Bioverativ in the United States, Japan, Canada, and several other countries. The extended half-life recombinant clotting factor is also approved with the brand name Elocta in Europe, where is marketed by Sobi.

A hemophilia gene therapy developed by Spark Therapeutics and Pfizer nearly eliminated bleeding episodes in 10 patients who took part in a Phase 1/2 trial. The treatment, SPK-9001, worked so well in eight of the 10 that they were able to stop taking clotting factor replacements. Researchers published the preliminary trial…