Roche’s blockbuster ambitions for new haemophilia A therapy Hemlibra have been bolstered by new data showing the drug was able to cut bleeds by more than two thirds compared to standard factor VIII therapy.
It’s the first time that any medicine has been able to outperform factor VIII prophylaxis, with patients switched to Hemlibra (emicizumab) given as a once-weekly or biweekly injection seeing the number of bleeds reduced by 68% compared to their prior therapy. It also reduced bleeds by 98% in patients who did not get any preventive treatment in the HAVEN 3 trial, which enrolled people with haemophilia A without factor VIII inhibitors, antibodies that limit the effect of clotting factor replacement.
“Even with current prophylactic treatments, many people with haemophilia A continue to have bleeds that can lead to long-term joint damage, and there is a need for more treatment options,” commented HAVEN 3 investigator Johnny Mahlangu of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Read more: http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/roches_hemlibra_first_drug_to_top_standard_therapy_in_haemophilia_a_1236108