SUMMARY
In the past few years, several new treatment options for haemophilia A and B have emerged. Formerly, replacement therapy comprised plasma-derived and recombinant factor VIII and IX concentrates containing human- and animal-derived components associated with a potential risk of contamination with infectious agents. Further optimisation of the manufacturing procedures virtually eliminated these hazards. Nowadays, the major drawbacks of the standard plasma-derived and recombinant factor VIII and IX products are their relatively short half-life. To overcome these limitations, different therapeutic approaches were developed. Novel extended half-life rFVIII and rFIX concentrates allow a reduction of the injection frequency and improve the efficacy of therapy and the quality of life of haemophilia patients. Besides the prophylactic treatment options, important progress has been made in gene therapy. Currently, the major complication of the treatment with FVIII or FIX concentrates is the development of inhibitor antibodies. In these cases, bypassing agents allow treating or preventing bleedings. However, the currently available bypassing agents have a short half-life, which limit their use for prophylactic treatment. Accordingly, several new therapies are now being developed to treat patients with inhibitors, including rFVIIa with extended half-life, recombinant porcine FVIII and bispecific antibodies bridging FVIII and FIX.
(BELG J HEMATOL 2018;9(5):175–81)
