Hemophilia: yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Abstract

Hemophilia is an ancient disease which was not defined until the 1940s. Marked advances in management have altered the lifestyle of these patients and extended their life. The use of human-derived blood products had brought devastating viral infections to hemophiliacs. New products and creative interventions offer new patients safer and longer life, prophylaxis, continuous infusion, and gene therapy offer a bright future. Inhibitor induction and its management remain a significant challenge, but financial underwriting of care for this chronic disease remains the major uncertainty regarding fulfillment of the scientific and clinical gains.