[Congenital hemophilia: a new treatment paradigm]

Abstract

Hemophilia is the most common congenital coagulation disorder, characterized by a tendency to bleed severely. Treatment is based on the replacement of defective FVIII or FIX. Following the introduction of recombinant FVIII and FIX, the treatment paradigm of the disease is shifting from episodic to prophylactic treatment with regular the infusion of factor concentrates. Since 2000, several new recombinant FVIII and FIX products with longer half-life have been developed by pegylation protein modification and other technologies, resulting in improved quality of life for patients with hemophilia. Recently, therapeutics with novel hemostatic mechanisms have been developed to overcome several unmet needs. FVIII (a), mimicking bispecific antibody recognizing FIX (a) /FX, has been approved in Japan. The product has several advantages, including a much longer half-life spanning 30 days, subcutaneous injectability, and effectiveness irrespective of the presence of FVIII inhibitor. The paradigm of hemophilia treatment is now shifting towards intact joint function and higher activity.

Keywords: Emicizumab; Extended half-life FIX; Extended half-life FVIII; Hemophilia A; Hemophilia B.