PR94096

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)

LACHEN, Switzerland, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

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.

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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."

To find out more about the activities of Octapharma at EAHAD 2022 virtual

congress please visit the link here (

https://www.octapharma.com/ssr/engagement/international-events/2022/eahad-2022  

).

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.

SOURCE  Octapharma