Hemophilia patients with a low number of red blood cells and reduced coagulation factor levels — the activity level of proteins essential for blood clotting — are at a higher risk of increased blood loss during a knee replacement surgery, a study reported. The study, “Risk…

Meaningful connections with other people are of incredible value to people with chronic illnesses. My husband, Jared, and I can both attest to this, as he lives with severe hemophilia B and a seizure disorder, while I am newly diagnosed with both bipolar II disorder and the inattentive…

Treatment with the experimental gene therapy Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) significantly increased factor VIII levels in men with severe hemophilia A treated in the Phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial and with reasonable safety, findings at one and two years post-treatment show. While declines in these levels were evident over time,…

Patient registries are a hot topic of rare disease research and many organizations are taking advantage of this resource by signing up their patient communities and connecting with researchers. Eric Sid, MD, program officer for the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), said it is difficult to estimate how…

A foam roller to release tension in the fascia — a casing of fibrous tissue that surrounds and holds other tissues in place — is safe to be used by patients with knee joint disease caused by hemophilia, a Spanish has study found. When the fascia tightens around muscles,…

Next month, April 21–23, the MacDonald family heads to San Antonio to attend the Hemophilia Federation of America’s 2022 Symposium. I cannot wait to see old friends and participate in educational sessions regarding upcoming treatments and services to the bleeding disorders community. My wife, Cazandra, and I haven’t…

I’m a homebody. I work from home most days, and when I’m relaxing, I’m quilting, sewing, or weaving. The gratitude I have for my home and my activities there is overwhelming in the best of ways. While the pandemic has caused many to feel trapped, unable to move about the…

A multi-institute research collaboration has received a $12 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to understand what’s behind limitations in gene therapies currently being tested in people with hemophilia A. The goal is to use this information to develop safer and long-lasting gene therapies…

Tuesday morning, March 8. Bright rays of sun had already passed through our floor-length bedroom windows, but my sleep-deprived brain was fighting to keep my eyes shut for a few more minutes. The day before I had worked myself into a mental breakdown, which had zapped my energy completely. “Wake…

Weekly use of the experimental, long-acting therapy efanesoctocog alfa safely and effectively prevents bleeds in adolescents and adults with severe hemophilia A, according to top-line, one-year data from the Phase 3 XTEND-1 trial. The therapy — being jointly developed by Sanofi and Sobi — was also superior to approved preventive therapies…