This month, I attended One Drop, a “rare bleeding disorders consortium” hosted by Comprehensive Health Education Services (CHES) in Tampa, Florida. The event supported individuals and families with deficiencies of factor I, II, V, VII, X, XI, XIII as well as rare platelet disorders, such as Glanzmann thrombasthenia. Janet Brewer,…

When my oldest son, Julian, was 5, our paths crossed in the medical world. My wife, Cazandra, was out of town, and my boy and I were holding down the fort at home. Julian had hemophilia with a low-titer inhibitor and thus needed to infuse factor VIII every day.

Preparing for major spinal surgery has me feeling more than the usual pre-op jitters. There’s something more profound at work — a feeling that connects me to the years of watching my son Caeleb endure numerous surgeries as a result of complications from severe hemophilia with an inhibitor. Because…

Prophylactic replacement therapy to prevent bleeds was more cost-effective than on-demand treatment of active bleeds for children and adolescents in China with moderate or severe hemophilia A without inhibitors, a study reported. The superior cost-effectiveness of prophylaxis over on-demand treatment was mainly driven by the on-demand costs of treating…

I’ve lately come to realize that pride and dignity are core values in my life, profoundly influencing my sense of self and my interactions with others. Although pride is sometimes seen as a negative trait, there’s a crucial distinction between healthy and unhealthy pride. The former allows us to feel…

Real-world use of the extended half-life factor replacement therapy Elocta (efmoroctocog alfa) was associated with better bleed control than standard half-life products among people with hemophilia A, according to findings from an observational study in Europe. Elocta, sold as Eloctate in the U.S., was also associated with fewer…

Hympavzi (marstacimab-hncq) may be available by prescription in the U.S. before the end of the year. The therapy was approved this month as a routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adults and children, ages 12 and older, with hemophilia A or…

Last week was busy. I spent four days in the mountains on a clergy retreat at the Sacramento Camp and Conference Center in southern New Mexico. When the retreat ended last Thursday, I went to my home elsewhere in the state, met a group at my church, and then…

In my Oct. 4 column, I reflected on the devastation Hurricane Helene had inflicted on my community in Punta Gorda, Florida. I never imagined that just weeks later, I’d be writing about a second hurricane — Milton — that would prove even more destructive to my town than Helene.

Sevenfact (eptacog beta) was deemed safe and effective at stopping bleeds in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, according to real-world data from a case series study in the U.S. The treatment was also more affordable than other similar therapies and effective even in patients who’d failed…