Jim Christensen Jr., a hemophilia A patient who has supported the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) for more than three decades, has received the Lester A. Rosen Humanitarian and Achievement Award, given annually by Ameritas, for which he is an independent financial representative. With the award, the insurance company…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to GENV-HEM, GeneVentiv Therapeutics’ investigational gene therapy for hemophilia A and B patients, with or without clotting factor inhibitors. Orphan drug designation is given to treatment candidates that have the potential to be safe and effective…

I love a good laugh. When things are terrible and the world seems to be imploding, a well-timed joke or story can completely change the direction of the day. I am grateful to live in a home that is filled with love and laughter. I can count on…

For some patients with moderate or severe hemophilia, switching from standard to extended half-life replacement therapy results in improvements in key outcome measures, a study in Canada found. Most of these self-reported gains in health-related quality of life, and physical, mental, and social functioning three months after the switch,…

Hemophilia patients experienced improvements in joint health, mobility, and overall quality of life after completing a supervised eight-week exercise program, a study reports. However, in order to achieve long-lasting benefits, regular exercise may be required. The study, “Effects of a supervised therapeutic exercise program on musculoskeletal health and…

I live with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, and I rely on talk therapy at least once a month to keep my emotional well-being in check. The process of talking through my emotions and trusting a professional to give me new perspectives on the issues I deal with brings…

Implanting bioscaffolds — 3D biological scaffolds made up of collagen and other molecules — carrying transformed liver cells into rats successfully triggered the production of factor VIII (FVIII), the clotting protein missing in people with hemophilia A. According to researchers, these bioscaffolds may be a therapeutic alternative to FVIII…

The first documented case of a previously untreated hemophilia B patient developing inhibitors against the extended half-life therapy Alprolix was described in a report from Canada. The report also shows how combining routine administration of Alprolix with medications that suppress the immune system can be used to stop…

I sit waiting for my youngest son to complete an MRI of his right ankle. He has been overwhelmed with pain from constant breakthrough bleeding episodes. For a while, recombinant factor VIII was working to treat his hemophilia and we were euphoric, but we soon learned that internal…

I use a handicapped placard for my youngest son, Caeleb, who has hemophilia and deals with complications from the clotting factor used to treat his illness, which causes him to have pain. Caeleb, 15, participates in his school’s marching band and practices after school four days a week. At the end…