[Acquired hemophilia A and emicizumab for the treatment of bleeding: two case report and a literature review]

Abstract

Emicizumab is a bispecific antibody that mimics the function of factor VIII (FVIII) and is indicated for prophylactic use in patients with congenital hemophilia A with or without inhibitors. Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare and severe disorder causes by autoantibodies that inhibit FVIII. In AHA, acute bleeding are managed with bypassing agents but several reports described the off-label use of emicizumab. The aim of this article is to describe two cases of AHA treated with emicizumab and a review of the scientific littérature. Reports indicate that the use of emicizumab is efficacious to treat acute bleeding with less thrombotic events thant with bypassing agents and with a reduced hospitalisation duration. Nevertheless biological monitoring is more complicated with assay interferences and a persistent circulation more than 6 months after the last injection was observed for our two patients.

Keywords: Acquired hemophilia A; biological monitoring; bispecific monoclonal antibody; off-label treatment.