Assessing Patient Experiences with Prophylactic Treatments for Hemophilia a: Concept Elicitation for Gene Therapy

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 33-34
Author(s):  
Shawn X. Sun ◽  
Oyebimpe Olayinka-Amao ◽  
Dana DiBenedetti
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Pharmaceutical Company ◽  
Prophylactic Treatment ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Current Therapy ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
The Impact

Background: Gene therapy for hemophilia A is designed to be a one-time infusion to deliver functional copies of the defective factor VIII (FVIII) gene, to facilitate the endogenous production of therapeutic FVIII levels. The aim is to achieve long-term protection from bleeds without the burden of regular infusions. Aims: To better understand patients' experiences of living with hemophilia A, the impact of traditional hemophilia A treatments, and patients' perceptions of the potential value of gene therapy versus traditional prophylactic treatments. Methods: Patients were identified from the database of a US rare diseases patient organization, who also recruited and screened patients for the study using materials developed by the outcomes research organization (RTI-HS) and Takeda. Adult males aged ≥18 years with a self-reported diagnosis of moderate or severe hemophilia A, who reported using factor or nonfactor prophylactic treatment and were not currently receiving treatment for inhibitors, were eligible for the study. Eligible patients provided verbal informed consent to participate in a semi-structured, 60-minute telephone interview conducted in English by 2 members of RTI-HS who did not have access to any patient-identifying information at any time during the study. Targeted questions probed perceptions of treatment burden, impact of hemophilia A on daily life, and time spent on treatment. Additionally, questions were posed to assess patients' perceptions of the impact of traditional treatments and the potential benefits they anticipate from gene therapy. Results: Nineteen patients aged 19-55 years with moderate (n = 1) or severe (n = 18) hemophilia A were interviewed. Most (16/19, 89.5%) received prophylactic FVIII therapy, (3/19, 15.8%) were receiving nonfactor prophylactic treatment, of which 1 patient also used FVIII treatment. The aspects of current or past treatments most frequently disliked by patients were lack of efficacy, frequency of infusions, intravenous administration, vein health/scar tissue, and dosing volume. Most patients expressed satisfaction with their current treatment (18/19; 94.7%), though all listed ≥1 negative treatment impact, most frequently related to difficulties with travel (13/19; 68.4%), mood/emotions (12/19; 63.2%), day-to-day activities (10/19; 52.6%), and physical health/activities (7/19; 36.8%), including having to give up or reduce particular activities because of their treatment and needing to be more cautious, especially on nontreatment days. When presented with a hypothetical scenario for gene therapy - a one-time long-acting intravenous infusion to provide a constant level of FVIII that could reduce future bleeds - all patients stated they would choose gene therapy over their current therapy, although several said they would have initial questions regarding safety, efficacy, and duration of protection. Commonly expressed reasons for preferring gene therapy (Figure 1) included fewer infusions and less worry about the need to infuse. All 19 patients said they expected to be highly satisfied with this treatment, largely because of the long-term protection from bleeds, fewer infusions, and less concern about inhibitors. The most commonly anticipated improvements were in mood/emotions (15/19; 78.9%), specifically related to reduced concern about infusions and bleed protection. Other commonly anticipated improvements included gain in time usually spent infusing (13/19; 68.4%), easier travel (12/19; 63.2%), and improved physical health and ability to perform activities (10/19; 52.6%). Conclusions: This study identified specific patient priorities, including treatment convenience, long-lasting bleed protection, frequency of intravenous infusions, and infusion volumes. The results suggest that gene therapy clinical trials should consider evaluating patient concerns in relation to the level of patient confidence in bleed protection. A study limitation is that, at the time of the survey, data on the efficacy and safety of gene therapy were limited. In the future, the study will be expanded to include a larger population of patients with hemophilia. Disclosures Sun: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.: Current Employment. Olayinka-Amao:Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd: Other: RTI-HS was contracted by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd to conduct this work; RTI Health Solutions: Current Employment. DiBenedetti:RTI Health Solutions: Current Employment; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd: Other: RTI-HS was contracted by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd to conduct this work.

Prophylaxis in Patients with Hemophilia a and Its Impact on Quality of Life Using the Specific Index Haem-a-Qol at a Hospital in Paraguay

Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 4959-4959
Author(s):  
Cristobal A Frutos ◽  
Barbara Konkle ◽  
Jorge Batista ◽  
Silvia Brizuela ◽  
Elvira Enciso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Prophylactic Treatment ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Minor Trauma ◽  
Severe Hemophilia ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Bleeding Episodes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Prophylactic replacement therapy with FVIII is considered the standard of care for patients with hemophilia although a protocol for administering the prophylaxis has yet to be defined by the World Federation of Hemophilia. Gaona in 2012 demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations due to bleeding episodes in patients with Hemophilia A treated with secondary prophylaxis at the Hematology Service of the Hospital Central del Instituto de Prevision Social (HCIPS) with a regimen of 25 IU/Kg per week in two infusions by reporting results from such regimen that had started at the HCIPS in 2010. This is a lower dose to those most frequently used in high resource countries like the Malmo or Utrecht protocols. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of our lower dose prophylaxis regimen on bleeding events, hospitalizations and quality of life as an alternative for low resource countries that cannot afford to provide their patients with higher dose treatments. The Dutch group Haemo-QoL designed the specific questionnaire for adult patients with hemophilia, the Haem-A-QoL with a Spanish version available for patients aged 17 and up. Results: The HCIPS currently has 36 patients receiving prophylactic treatment with FVIII. From these 18 patients consented to filling out the questionnaire. The mean age of the patients was 28. 3 of the patients were married, 2 were in a stable relationship and 13 were single. 62% of patients lived within 20 km of the Hospital and 38% lived further away going up to 200 km. 17 of the 18 patients had the highest level of education possible for their age. Only one patient, the oldest one, had stopped his education at primary school. All of them had severe disease with one or more affected joints. The average FVIII use per year was 68,000 IU ranging from 8,000 IU to 96,000 IU or 917 IU/kg/year. The strongest determinant for receiving less FVIII was missing appointments. Distance to the Hospital was not of significance. Bleeding episodes prior to prophylactic treatment was 2-3 minor traumatic bleeding episodes per week (after brushing their teeth, easy bruising from minor trauma), 2-3 joint bleeds per month at which point they would seek medical assistance and 1-2 major bleeding episodes per year requiring hospitalization. In the last year 5 patients were hospitalized once. One for pneumonia, one for phlebitis, one for dengue fever and two for hemathrosis. They reported a decrease in bleeding episodes at home from 2-3 joint bleeds per month to 1 every other month. Patients reported after traumatic events their bleeding was "normal" (i.e. when brushing their teeth if they started bleeding they would continue bleeding for days at a time whereas when in prophylaxis they would bleed right after the brushing and then it stopped which they took to be normal). Converting the results from the Haem-A-QoL questionnaire to a scoring system of 1-100 being 1 the best QoL and 100 the worst, the average QoL was 52. With scores of 60 for physical health, 50 for feelings, 52 for view of themselves, 48 for work/school, 53 for treatment, 56 for future, 47 for family planning and 45 for dating. Scores for sports and leisure though only amounting to 64, 33% of patients said that category did not apply to them since they did not practice any sports and the dealing category with a score of 37 was the lowest of all. When compared to results published by a Blood Center in Brazil with an on demand regimen patients with severe hemophilia in that study showed a physical health score of 55, 40 for feelings, 35 for self-perception, 60 for sports and leisure, 35 for work and school, 20 for coping, 45 for treatment, 45 for future and 25 for dating with an average overall score of 40. With an annual average usage of 63,683 IU on the severely affected patients. In summary, the proposed dosing of 25IU/kgs/week seems at first glance to reduce bleeding episodes among patients with severe hemophilia as well as hospitalizations. In general patients treated at the HCIPS have a regular to poor quality of life as measured by the Haem-A-QoL questionnaire which contrasts with results from the Brazilian study on quality of life from patients with on demand treatment and roughly same FVIII usage per year showing their patients with severe hemophilia had an overall quality of life from regular to good. Perhaps the psychological factor comes in to play? A follow up study after patients receive proper psychological evaluations may help clarify results. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Animal Testing of Retroviral-Mediated Gene Therapy for Factor VIII Deficiency

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 555-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Jolly ◽  
Judith Greengard
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Factor Viii ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Joint Damage ◽  
Coagulation Factor ◽  
The United States ◽  
Severe Hemophilia ◽  
Factor Viii Gene ◽  
Bleeding Episodes

IntroductionHemophilia A results from the plasma deficiency of factor VIII, a gene carried on the X chromosome. Bleeding results from a lack of coagulation factor VIII, a large and complex protein that circulates in complex with its carrier, von Willebrand factor (vWF).1 Severe hemophilia A (<1% of normal circulating levels) is associated with a high degree of mortality, due to spontaneous and trauma-induced, life-threatening and crippling bleeding episodes.2 Current treatment in the United States consists of infusion of plasma-derived or recombinant factor VIII in response to bleeding episodes.3 Such treatment fails to prevent cumulative joint damage, a major cause of hemophilia-associated morbidity.4 Availability of prophylactic treatment, which would reduce the number and severity of bleeding episodes and, consequently, would limit such joint damage, is limited by cost and the problems associated with repeated venous access. Other problems are associated with frequent replacement treatment, including the dangers of transmission of blood-borne infections derived from plasma used as a source of factor VIII or tissue culture or formulation components. These dangers are reduced, but not eliminated, by current manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, approximately 1 in 5 patients with severe hemophilia treated with recombinant or plasma-derived factor VIII develop inhibitory humoral immune responses. In some cases, new inhibitors have developed, apparently in response to unnatural modifications introduced during manufacture or purification.5 Gene therapy could circumvent most of these difficulties. In theory, a single injection of a vector encoding the factor VIII gene could provide constant plasma levels of factor in the long term. However, long-term expression after gene transfer of a systemically expressed protein in higher mammals has seldom been described. In some cases, a vector that appeared promising in a rodent model has not worked well in larger animals, for example, due to a massive immune response not seen in the rodent.6 An excellent review of early efforts at factor VIII gene therapy appeared in an earlier volume of this series.7 A summary of results from various in vivo experiments is shown in Table 1. This chapter will focus on results pertaining to studies using vectors based on murine retroviruses, including our own work.

Human-Cl Rhfviii Effectively and Safely Prevents Bleeding Episodes in Previously Treated Adult Patients with Severe Haemophilia A

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 1132-1132
Author(s):  
Sigurd Knaub ◽  
Toshko Lissitchkov ◽  
Kingsley Hampton ◽  
Mario Von Depka ◽  
Savita Rangarajan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Prophylactic Treatment ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Haemophilia A ◽  
Severe Haemophilia ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Bleeding Rate ◽  
Previously Treated

Abstract Abstract 1132 The main purpose of this prospective, multi-center, open-label phase 3 study was to assess the efficacy of prophylactic treatment with Human-cl rhFVIII, the first human cell-line derived recombinant FVIII, in previously treated patients (PTPs) with severe haemophilia A. Patients were to receive 30–40 international units (IU) FVIII of Human-cl rhFVIII per kg every other day for 6 months. Efficacy of preventing and treating bleeds were judged using objective criteria taking the monthly bleeding rate and the number of infusions needed to manage a break-through bleed into account. In-vivo recovery (IVR) was determined at the beginning of the study and after 3 and 6 months. FVIII:C was measured by validated chromogenic (CHR) and one-stage (OS) assays in a central laboratory, which also assigned drug potencies. Inhibitor activity was determined using the Nijmegen modification of the Bethesda assay before the first administration and at defined intervals thereafter. Thirty-two patients between 18 and 75 years of age were enrolled from 11 centres in Europe and treated prophylactically for 6.0±0.9 months (mean ± SD) with a mean prophylactic dose of 32.8 IU/kg. Sixteen patients never bled, 11 patients bled once and 5 more than once. The mean total and spontaneous monthly bleeding rate was 0.188±0.307 and 0.095±0.211, respectively. Efficacy of the prophylactic treatment was “excellent” in all patients for spontaneous BEs and “excellent” or “good” in all patients but one for all types of bleeds. All treatments of bleeds were rated as “excellent” (71.4%) or “good” (28.6%). The IVR at baseline was 2.6±0.5 % per IU/kg for the CHR and 2.2±0.5 % per IU/kg for the OS assay and remained stable during the study. A total of 2921 infusions were given in the study. Human-cl rhFVIII was well tolerated and no patient experienced a related serious adverse event. No FVIII inhibitors were detected. Conclusion: The data indicate that Human-cl rh FVIII is safe and efficacious in preventing and treating bleeds in PTPs with severe haemophlia A. Disclosures: Knaub: Octapharma AG: Employment. Lissitchkov:Octapharma AG: PI Other. Tuddenham:College London: Consultancy, Employment, Gene therapy for hemophilia A, Gene therapy for hemophilia A Patents & Royalties, Research Funding. Collins:Octapharma AG: Consultancy. Oldenburg:d and e: Baxter, Bayer, Biotest, CSL-Behring, Grifols, Inspiration, NovoNordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer e: Biogen IDec, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum: Honoraria, Research Funding. Bichler:Octapharma AG: Employment.

scholarly journals Efficacy and Safety of Long-term Prophylaxis in Severe Hemophilia A Dogs Following Liver Gene Therapy Using AAV Vectors

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise E Sabatino ◽  
Amy M Lange ◽  
Ekaterina S Altynova ◽  
Rita Sarkar ◽  
Shangzhen Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Severe Hemophilia ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Liver Gene

scholarly journals Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life Measures after Long-Term, Daily, Subcutaneous Concizumab Prophylaxis in Patients with Hemophilia A/B with and without Inhibitors: Results from the Main and Extension Parts of Phase 2 Clinical Trials

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1041-1041
Author(s):  
Mathilde Faller ◽  
Sidsel Marie Tønder ◽  
Thomas Porstmann
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Prophylactic Treatment ◽  
Hemophilia A ◽  
Response Threshold ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Responder Analysis ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Relative to the general population, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is impaired in patients with hemophilia, who report increased pain and reduced physical activity. It is therefore of interest to assess the change in HRQoL after long-term prophylactic treatment. Concizumab is an anti-tissue factor pathway inhibitor monoclonal antibody in clinical development for a subcutaneous, prophylactic treatment of patients with hemophilia. Here, we present results from exploratory analyses assessing changes in HRQoL after long-term concizumab treatment (≤126 treatment weeks), which includes data from the main and extension parts of explorer4 (NCT03196284) and explorer5 (NCT03196297) phase 2 trials. Both trials comprised a main part (≤24 weeks), and an extension part (explorer4: ≤94 weeks; explorer5: ≤102 weeks). In explorer4, patients with hemophilia A and B with inhibitors (HAwI/HBwI) were recruited and randomized 2:1 to concizumab prophylaxis (n=17) or recombinant activated factor VII on-demand treatment (n=9). Patients in the on-demand arm switched to concizumab prophylaxis in the extension part. Twenty-six patients were recruited for explorer4, 25 patients were exposed to concizumab in the extension part, and 22 patients completed the trial. In explorer5, 36 patients with severe hemophilia A (HA) were recruited, 32 patients entered the extension part, and 30 patients completed the trial. Patients were asked to complete the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2) at baseline (for this analysis, baseline was defined as the last assessment before first treatment with concizumab), and throughout the main and extension parts. Scoring was conducted according to the SF-36v2 scoring software (version 5.0). Only patients who completed the entire trial were included for analysis. T score points of SF-36v2 domains were used to determine clinically meaningful differences at group level from baseline to the end of the extension part, based on minimally important difference criteria (MID; SF-36v2 manual 3rd edition, 2013). At an individual level, a responder analysis was conducted to identify the proportion of patients who had improved scores in the physical component summary (PCS), physical function (PF) and bodily pain (BP) domains, based on the recommended individual-level response threshold of 3.4, 4.3 and 6.2, respectively (based on 2009 United States general population norms; SF-36v2 manual). The results presented here demonstrate the change in HRQoL before and after long-term concizumab use in the main and extension parts of explorer4 and explorer5. For explorer4, 22 patients (14 HAwI; 8 HBwI) were included in the current exploratory analysis, which showed that the difference in improvement from baseline to end of extension part exceeded the MID thresholds for PCS score (Table 1), at group level. Additionally, the MID thresholds were also met for PF, BP, role-physical, general health, vitality, social functioning, and mental health domains in explorer4 (Table 1). At an individual level, the responder analysis revealed that 63.6%, 54.5% and 50.0% of 22 patients had an improvement that met or exceeded the response threshold for PCS, PF and BP scores. In the 30 patients with severe HA included in the explorer5 analysis, PCS score met the MID threshold for difference in improvement from baseline to end of extension, although large standard deviations were observed (Table 1). At an individual level, the responder analysis revealed that 43.3%, 33.3% and 33.3% of 30 patients had an improvement that met or exceeded the response threshold for PCS, PF and BP scores. While these analyses are exploratory and should be interpreted with caution, they illustrated that patients with HAwI/HBwI reported improved HRQoL after long-term, subcutaneous concizumab prophylaxis, particularly in clinically relevant domains such as PF and BP, suggesting a potential positive effect of concizumab prophylaxis on physical functioning and reduced pain. Interestingly, PCS improvement was observed across all hemophilia subgroups, suggesting better functional health, albeit the large standard deviation reported. The potential beneficial effect of concizumab prophylaxis on HRQoL in hemophilia patients is being investigated further in the ongoing phase 3 trials. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Faller: Novo Nordisk Health Care AG: Current Employment. Marie Tønder: Novo Nordisk Health Care AG: Current Employment. Porstmann: Novo Nordisk Health Care AG: Current Employment.

scholarly journals Estimating the economic impact of a long–term hunting ban on local businesses in rural areas in Greece: a hypothetical scenario

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-170
Author(s):  
K. G. Papaspyropoulos ◽  
◽  
J. Koufis ◽  
L. Tourlida ◽  
A. Georgakopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
Annual Earnings ◽  
Council Of State ◽  
The Impact

In December 2009, hunting was banned for a few days in Greece following the decision of the Council of State. The decision was issued when an animal rights organization claimed to the Court that there was no updated evidence about the impact of hunting on wild populations. This case prompted the present study, which focused on examining the hypothetical scenario of the possible impact of a long–term hunting ban on local businesses in rural areas in Greece. We carried out face–to–face interviews with entrepreneurs from the accommodation and food service sectors. Our results showed that most business owners interviewed considered the impact would be significant for their annual earnings. This finding should be taken into account by environmental decision makers because rural and mountainous areas in Greece are sparsely populated, and the few small businesses that still operate would not withstand drastic changes in rural tourism.

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