When you live with a bleeding disorder, you get used to explaining yourself. You learn to walk into an emergency room ready with a treatment letter and a mental script of your medical history. You learn to minimize pain, explain bruises, fight for treatment, and reassure medical professionals that, yes,…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved an accelerated assessment request for etranacogene dezaparvovec, an experimental gene therapy for hemophilia B. The decision means that, once an application is submitted seeking approval for marketing authorization of etranacogene dezaparvovec, it will be reviewed more quickly than normal — which…

Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) is now offering the gene therapies Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec) to people with hemophilia B and SPK-8011 (dirloctocogene samoparvovec), an experimental treatment for hemophilia A. LLUH’s Center of Excellence Hemophilia Program is structured to ensure that financial constraints don’t prevent access to the therapy,…

Thank goodness for the great friendships that we forge along the way. Those of us who live with chronic illnesses learn the most about caring for our loved ones from those who are in our communities. While teaming with medical staff is crucial to the diagnosis and treatment…

In 2000, actor Tom Hanks starred in the movie “Cast Away.” His character, Chuck Noland, traveled the world as a systems analyst for FedEx, and his plane crashed in the South Pacific. He was on a deserted island, and his only connections with the world were the FedEx…

Last in a series. Read parts one and two. For 21-year-old Domenic Catrine, hemophilia B once dictated every part of life, from wearing a helmet during childhood playtime to college routines shaped by weekly factor infusions. Then he underwent gene therapy during his sophomore year in…

Durveqtix (fidanacogene elaparvovec), a gene therapy for adults with severe and moderately severe hemophilia B, has been granted conditional marketing authorization by regulators in the European Union. The decision by the European Commission follows a positive recommendation on the …

I thought the worst days were behind me in helping my youngest son navigate his bleeding disorder. Caeleb is 16 years old and a junior in high school. During his younger years, an inhibitor wreaked havoc on my son, causing extreme complications and joint bleeds that took an…

Historically, hemophilia has been viewed as a disease that affects men and boys, which has led to significant gender bias against women with the disease in research, diagnosis, and treatment. As a result, there’s a lack of awareness and understanding of how hemophilia affects women and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BioMarin Pharmaceutical‘s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its gene therapy candidate to treat severe hemophilia A. FDA’s decision on BMN 270, also known for its generic name valoctocogene roxaparvovec,…