Catalyst Presenting Reddit Q&A on Bleeding Disorders to Mark World Hemophilia Day

In recognition of World Hemophilia Day (WHD), Catalyst Biosciences is hosting an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session on Reddit on April 17.

During the Reddit AMA event, which will take place at noon EST Wednesday, clinicians will answer questions from patients and caregivers about bleeding disorders including hemophilia. A link to a live feed will be provided on Catalyst’s twitter account @catalystbio a half-hour before the event.

The session will feature Howard Levy, PhD, Catalyst’s chief medical officer, and Steven Pipe, MD, of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan. Pipe’s area of expertise is inherited and acquired bleeding and thrombotic disorders, including hemophilia.

Catalyst is focused on developing medicines for hemophilia patients who need new or better treatment options. In fact, the company recently announced the start of enrollment for a Phase 2b clinical trial for dalcinonacog alfa (DalcA) in hemophilia B patients.

In January, the company presented updates on two of its lead compounds — Factor Vlla (FVlla) marzeptacog alfa (activated) (MarzAA) and Factor IX (FIX) dalcinonacog alfa (DalcA) — for the treatment of hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, and for hemophilia B. DalcA is a powerful recombinant Factor IX prophylactic treatment designed to prevent acute bleeding episodes in hemophilia B patients.

April 17 will mark the 29th World Hemophilia Day, which, this year, is focused on reaching out and identifying new members of the bleeding disorders community. The campaign, presented by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), will feature outreach initiatives such as regional workshops, awareness-raising efforts, patient-data collection, and training of health professionals.

This day also helps illustrate the importance of the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, which provides a range of integrated care development training programs. The programs work to ensure that local infrastructures and expert medical care are available for the optimal use of donated products. Last year, WFD emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge to improve care and treatment access around the world.

Hemophilia prevents blood from clotting normally, and causes relatively long periods of post-injury bleeding, and potentially organ and tissue-damaging internal bleeding. Those born with the disease have little or no clotting factor, a protein needed for normal blood clotting. According to the National Hemophilia Foundation, roughly 18,000 U.S. residents have hemophilia.