As Congress begins debate this week to overhaul the U.S. tax code, lawmakers should leave the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) — and the tax incentives it offers pharmaceutical companies to develop therapies for rare diseases — off the table. That’s the message being pushed by the National Organization for…
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Hemophilia patients are taking heart from a number of innovative treatment approaches that have reached the clinical trials stage. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia offered a rundown on the advances in an article in the journal Blood titled “Novel approaches to hemophilia therapy: successes and challenges.” They include …
Knowledge about the clinical benefits of treatments and their importance in the outcome of patients, as well as more stable therapies, will likely improve treatment adherence among hemophilia patients in the U.S., according to new research. The study, “Treatment adherence in hemophilia,” was conducted by Dr. Courtney Thornburg, medical…
Look out, Phoenix, there’s a whole lot of zombies heading your way. The Arizona Hemophilia Association (AHA) is teaming up once again with Lerner and Rowe’s Phoenix personal injury law offices and the radio station 98KUPD to hold Zombie Walk 9 in downtown Phoenix on Oct. 28. The fundraising event will feature…
U.S. hemophiliacs who use patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments can provide reliable information on their disease burden, finds a new study that appeared in the journal Patient Preference and Adherence. In the study, “Reliability of patient-reported outcome instruments in US adults with hemophilia: the Pain, Functional Impairment and Quality…
The spleen’s marginal zone (MZ) B-cells respond to blood coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and show potential to become the target of future therapies to reduce FVIII inhibitors in hemophilia A, according to new research in mice. The study, “Marginal zone B cells are critical to factor VIII inhibitor…
Three U.S. bleeding disorder patient organizations recently received funding support for their patients’ rights advocacy campaigns. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, headquartered Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation (GLHF), the New York City Hemophilia Chapter (NYCHC), and the Columbus, Ohio-based Ohio Bleeding Disorders Council (OBDC) have been…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status (ODD) to Catalyst Biosciences’ highly potent recombinant human factor IX variant CB 2679d (also known as ISU304) to treat hemophilia B. Catalyst is evaluating CB 2679d’s potential for subcutaneous prophylactic treatment in people with hemophilia B. The regulatory decision…
Catalyst Biosciences recently announced that its collaborator, ISU Abixs, has completed dosing of the first subcutaneous cohort in an ongoing Phase 1/2 proof-of-concept clinical trial in people with severe hemophilia B. This patient group is the second of up to five involved in the study. CB 2679d (also known as ISU304)…
Researchers have found that adults with severe hemophilia A coupled with pre-existing joint disease benefit most from prophylaxis to improve function, quality of life, and activities, and to better manage pain. The study, “Effect of late prophylaxis in hemophilia on joint status: a randomized trial,” was published in…
