Longer‐acting clotting factor concentrates for hemophilia

• Published in: Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis Vol. 13; no. S1; pp. S167 - S175
• Main Author: Powell, J. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Limited 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Animals; blood coagulation factors; Blood Coagulation Factors - adverse effects; Blood Coagulation Factors - pharmacokinetics; Blood Coagulation Factors - therapeutic use; Drug Discovery; Drugs, Investigational - adverse effects; Drugs, Investigational - pharmacokinetics; Drugs, Investigational - therapeutic use; factor IX; factor VIIa; factor VIII; Hemophilia; Hemophilia A - blood; Hemophilia A - diagnosis; Hemophilia A - drug therapy; Hemorrhage; Hemorrhage - prevention & control; Hemostasis - drug effects; Hemostatics - adverse effects; Hemostatics - pharmacokinetics; Hemostatics - therapeutic use; Humans; pharmacokinetics; prophylaxis; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; blood coagulation factors; pharmacokinetics; factor IX; factor VIIa; factor VIII; prophylaxis
• ISSN: 1538-7933; 1538-7836; 1538-7836
• DOI: 10.1111/jth.12912

Summary Hemophilia, when severe, leads to spontaneous life‐threatening bleeding episodes. Current therapy requires frequent intravenous infusions. Most patients must limit their physical activities to avoid bleeding when the factor activity levels are below normal. In 2014, new therapeutic factor VIII and IX products were approved in Canada and the U.S. Over the next couple of years, other new factor products will likely be approved. These new factors have been engineered to have improved pharmacokinetic properties, including extended half‐life in circulation, thus providing major therapeutic advances for patients with hemophilia. In the completed clinical trials, over 700 patients have successfully used these longer acting products regularly for more than one year. These promising new therapies should allow patients with hemophilia to use fewer infusions to prevent spontaneous bleeding or to treat bleeding episodes, and to provide appropriate clotting factor levels for different physical activities.