Octapharma puts a spotlight on the challenges of managing inhibitors in haemophilia A at the 15th Annual Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD)

The virtual symposium held on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 18:00 CET, will tell the story of the Rodriguez family and their two sons with haemophilia A as they navigate the challenges of inhibitor management.

The development of inhibitors to replacement factor VIII (FVIII) therapy continues to be a significant concern for people with haemophilia A and their families. These concerns can be especially significant in families with a history of inhibitor development, who have already experienced the challenges of living with an inhibitor. These include an increased risk of bleeding and reliance on less effective treatments for bleed management. There is therefore a strong interest in minimising the risk of inhibitor development, and in effective approaches to eradicating inhibitors if they develop.

The satellite virtual symposium, entitled “A family story: Navigating key inhibitor management challenges in haemophilia A”, will put a spotlight on the challenges faced by Jacqueline and Justin and their two sons, Justin-Rae and Jace. The session will be chaired by the boys’ treating physician, Dr William Beau Mitchell from the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York. “For parents, it is imperative that their children receive excellent all-round bleed prevention, and being free of inhibitors is therefore important to allow effective therapy,” said Dr Mitchell.

During the symposium, the distinguished international faculty of leading clinicians will discuss the story of the Rodriguez family and their experiences with a human cell line derived recombinant FVIII product. Important clinical issues, including the need for bleed prevention and inhibitor minimisation in previously untreated children, the use of immune tolerance induction (ITI) to eradicate inhibitors, and future clinical studies for inhibitor management will be presented and discussed.

“Talking to patients and their families, we know that the development of inhibitors against FVIII remains an important concern,” commented Larisa Belyanskaya, Head of IBU Haematology at Octapharma. “We’re committed at Octapharma to providing solutions aimed at minimising inhibitors in people with haemophilia A.”

Olaf Walter, Board Member of Octapharma, added “At Octapharma, we’re dedicated to improving patients’ lives, and hearing first-hand the experiences of patients and their families affected by haemophilia A further reminds us of the importance of our work.”

About Octapharma

Headquartered in Lachen, Switzerland, Octapharma is one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world, developing and producing human proteins from human plasma and human cell lines.

Octapharma employs more than 9,000 people worldwide to support the treatment of patients in 118 countries with products across three therapeutic areas: Immunotherapy, Haematology, and Critical Care.

Octapharma has seven R&D sites and six state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Mexico and Sweden, and operates more than 160 plasma donation centres across Europe and the US.

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