Developing gene therapies for rare diseases is one thing. Creating gene-edited “designer babies” is quite another. German legal expert Timo Minssen outlined the potentially explosive ethical landmines surrounding such issues during a recent talk at the New York Genome Center. Minssen directs the Center for Advanced Studies in…
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to Sigilon Therapeutics’ candidate cell therapy, called SIG-001, for hemophilia A. Orphan drug status aims to encourage therapies for rare and serious diseases, through benefits such as seven years of market exclusivity and exemption from FDA application…
Pfizer will invest an additional $500 million into the construction of its new manufacturing facility in Sanford, North Carolina, the company announced. According to the company, the facility could help advance the manufacturing of one-time gene therapies that use modified adeno-associated viral vectors, such as SB-525, which is…
Mild to moderate hemophilia B affects the relationships of adult patients, children with the disease and their caregivers in aspects such as telling others about the diagnosis, selecting a partner, and feeling bullied, according to an American study. The research, “Mild-severe hemophilia B impacts relationships of…
Although most patients report that discussing their sexual health with their doctors is helpful, hemophilia significantly affects the quality of their sex lives, according to the results of two studies. The research, “Hemophilia and sexual health: results from the HERO and B-HERO-S studies,” was published in…
Imagine living your whole life with a painful disease so rare that only 25 others worldwide have what you have. And that you’re one of just six such people who’ve made it to adulthood. Neena Nizar doesn’t have to imagine. The 41-year-old English professor at Metro Community College in Elkhorn,…
Marstacimab, an experimental treatment in clinical testing for hemophilia A and B, was able to restore clotting in hemophilic blood and plasma tested in laboratory assays, according to a study. If proven safe and effective in patients, the investigational therapy could provide an alternative preventive solution to…
Preventive treatment with Hemlibra (emicizumab) is superior to replacement therapy with factor VIII infusions for reducing bleed rates in people with hemophilia A without inhibitors, a pooled analysis of trials shows. The study “Efficacy of emicizumab prophylaxis versus factor VIII prophylaxis for treatment of hemophilia A…
Genetic variations in certain immune-related genes, namely the HLA and IL-10 genes, are linked with an increased risk for developing inhibitors against factor VIII replacement therapies in patients with severe hemophilia A. The study that determined that finding, “Risk stratification integrating genetic data for factor VIII inhibitor development…
The prevalence of hypertension is higher in patients with hemophilia than in the general population, according to a nationwide study in Sweden with long-term follow-up. In contrast, no differences were seen in the prevalence of angina pectoris and myocardial ischemia, two cardiovascular diseases. The study, “…
