A recently published research study suggests that each occurrence of joint bleeding in a hemophilia patient with inhibitors may be treated just as effectively with one infusion of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) as with multiple infusions of another factor concentrate.

The article, authored by Amy Shapiro, MD, Medical Director of the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center in Indianapolis, refers to four separate clinical studies demonstrating that a single dose of rFVIIa efficiently stops hemorrhaging, helps alleviate pain and improves mobility in joints, while forgoing the need for additional medications to stem bleeding. The findings from these studies, which were designed primarily to measure product efficacy and safety, showed that a single dose of rFVIIa is comparable to repeat dosing.

According to Shapiro, one primary advantage of a single dose approach is the circumventing of difficult challenges associated with multiple dosing, such as the need for repeated access to veins and the disruption of daily activities. She also suggested that the single dose method may be especially helpful for patients with hard-to-access veins, more hemorrhage-prone target joints and “needle phobia.”

The article, “Single-dose Recombinant Activated Factor VII for the Treatment of Joint Bleeds in Hemophilia Patients with Inhibitors,” was published in the August 2008 issue of Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology. The Shapiro manuscript was funded in part by Novo Nordisk A/S, manufacturer of the rFVIIa products NovoSeven® and NovoSeven®RT.

Source: MISSING