Back in Texas in good ol’ 1996, when my first son came into the world, a nice, well put-together doctor entered our room. He introduced himself as Dr. Connelly, the pediatrician on call. He appeared very polite and had an effortless bedside manner. He let us know that our…

About seven years ago, my youngest son experienced the worst of the worst regarding hemophilia. My boy missed most of his second-grade year — 128 of approximately 180 instructional days — because of continuous breakthrough bleeding episodes followed by extended hospital stays. Unfortunately, we could not get ahead of his…

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,…

This time of year brings many changes to the usual routines of life. The weather is colder, the leaves have fallen off the trees, and the days are shorter, with darkness arriving early. It’s also a time of joyous celebrations, traditions, and memory-making. For many, this season includes cookies,…

My mighty warrior, Caeleb, has been in great health for the past five years. Five years of the occasional ear infection, strep throat, or allergies, but no bleeds. In the community where we’ve lived for the past 15 months, my son is seen as a regular eighth-grade boy. Many know…

The European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization to BioMarin’s one-time gene therapy Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) as a treatment for adults with severe hemophilia A who have neither inhibitors nor detectable antibodies against adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV5). The decision, which comes a couple of months after a…

Long-term prophylaxis or preventive treatment with Eloctate (efmoroctocog alfa) helps to ease pain and improve health-related life quality for adults and children with hemophilia A, according to an analysis of three Phase 3 clinical trials. “These analyses highlight the relevance of pain, physical health, and overall wellbeing as…

It’s easy to look back and think about what one could have done differently. Handling a crisis with grace rather than anger, calling the doctor immediately instead of waiting, or keeping a diagnosis secret to avoid others’ judgment. We all make mistakes and, hopefully, we learn from them. Forgetting…

In February, I wrote about hemophilia’s effects on bone health after attending a webinar sponsored by Factor My Way, a patient support program. It featured bleeding disorders expert Claudio Sandoval, MD, who explained that everyone with hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) is at an increased risk of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track status to SB-525, a clinical gene therapy for hemophilia A developed by Sangamo Therapeutics in partnership with Pfizer. SB-525 delivers a human factor VIII cDNA construct and synthetic liver-specific promoter to the cell’s nucleus by using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). The…