When I have the opportunity to gather with my brothers and sisters from the hemophilia community, I notice we all have stories to tell. When you live with a rare disease, you are bound to have unique interactions with medical providers, family members, friends, and colleagues. These interactions range from…

Fresh off the heels of the National Hemophilia Foundation’s virtual symposium earlier this month, I just attended another online conference hosted by the Hemophilia Federation of America. One thing that drew me to this event was the number of sessions dealing with mental health, for both caregivers and…

Prophylactic (preventive) treatment with Hemlibra (emicizumab) safely and effectively lowers bleeding rates in children and adolescents with severe hemophilia A, according to a real-life study from Israel. The therapy’s effectiveness was independent of the presence of inhibitors (antibodies) against synthetic formulations of factor VIII (FVIII) — the missing…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s request for two years of additional clinical trial data on Roctavian, a potential gene therapy for hemophilia A, took its developer — BioMarin — and others in the hemophilia community by surprise. That decision, announced in a complete response letter of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pushed back by more than one year a decision on Roctavian, the potential first gene therapy for adults with hemophilia A. In a complete response letter that took the therapy’s developer, BioMarin by surprise, the FDA said it needed…

The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) has opened a grant program to support the local groups and chapters that work with bleeding disorder families, and have watched as their revenue sources dry up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Called the COVID-19 Fund Bridge Grant program, the effort is open to…

Refixia or Rebinyn (nonacog beta pegol, or N9-GP), an approved replacement therapy for hemophilia B, is effective and has a good safety profile in previously untreated boys younger than 6 with severe to moderately severe disease, an early analysis of a Phase 3 trial indicates.  In…

I am a home-based entrepreneur. My husband and I run a small online jewelry boutique, selling items straight from our bedroom. Two years ago, I decided to quit my full-time office job to focus on growing our concept of a PWD-run fine jewelry brand. I had my doubts, but…

Novo Nordisk has resumed its Phase 3 clinical trials investigating concizumab as a potential treatment for hemophilia A and B, the company announced in a press release. The trials were paused in March due to the occurrence of non-fatal thrombotic (blood-clotting) events in three patients. In collaboration…

Have you ever been to a holiday dinner with two tables? One table is designated for “the adults” and the other is for “the kids.” Growing up, this was the case at many family gatherings. I felt offended when I, as a teenager in high school, was stuck…