In a week’s time, I’ll be a 20-something married woman. I’ll be transitioning from my current “single” civil status to writing “married” on government forms. Just a few days ago, I had the sudden realization that I won’t be using my current name for much longer. Soon, I’ll be taking…

Hemophilia patients may now benefit from financial assistance for out-of-pocket expenses, health insurance premiums, and incidental medical costs following the launch of a new program from The Assistance Fund (TAF). Founded in 2009, TAF is an independent nonprofit aimed at helping eligible patients and their families cover costs not…

“Help, my partner has hemophilia! What now?” I’ve been dating a person with hemophilia for four years. In those years, we’ve had a lot of memorable experiences together, but as his carer, I have also faced struggles. I’ll be honest and say that being a HemoGirlfriend isn’t exactly a…

Pfizer has partnered with Spark Therapeutics to launch a Phase 3 program to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its factor IX replacement gene therapy for treating hemophilia B. Replacement of factor IX (FIX), the clotting protein lacking in hemophilia B, will be done via the fidanacogene elaparvovec gene…

I have diabetes and give myself insulin shots every evening. There is not much to the process. I draw up the insulin into a syringe and find a place in the area around my stomach. Once I choose the site, I plunge the tiny needle into my skin. No harm,…

A panel of multidisciplinary experts have developed recommendations for applying best practice guidelines in the planning and managing of surgery in hemophilia patients. The guidelines were outlined in the consensus review, “Recommendations on multidisciplinary management of elective surgery in people with haemophilia,” published in the journal…

Although moderate to severe hemophilia patients are generally protected against the development of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular-related events can still occur in this patient population, a study reports. These findings suggest that efforts should be made to prevent cardiovascular disease in hemophilia patients who have risk factors associated with the…

Key leaders in hemophilia therapy development, representing large pharmaceutical and biotech firms as well as academia and contract research organizations, will gather at the Hemophilia Drug Development conference in Boston on Aug. 14 through 16. The meeting is designed to be an industry-dedicated networking and discussion forum, and many of…

UniQure has enrolled the first patient in its Phase 3 HOPE-B single-dose trial investigating the effectiveness and safety of AMT-061 in treating people with severe or moderately severe hemophilia B. AMT-061 uses a viral vector to deliver the gene for a mutated clotting factor IX (FIX), which is also known as…

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes! We can’t seem to find a way to sift through the endless sea of those irritating but necessary cardboard contraptions containing pieces of our lives. We know that we cannot stop piecing together our lives in another place. Moving forward appears to be the best…