Sante Publique
December 2023
At a time when many of us desire fundamental reform of our health system, we return to the case of the New Caledonian Do-Kamo project. The proposed model provides interesting elements of reflection, due to it being person-centered and favoring a cultural approach to disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Decades of research have transformed hemophilia from severely limiting children's lives to a manageable disorder compatible with a full, active life, for many in high-income countries. The direction of future research will determine whether exciting developments truly advance health equity for all people with hemophilia (PWH). National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network conducted extensive inclusive all-stakeholder consultations to identify the priorities of people with inherited bleeding disorders and those who care for them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGene therapy for hemophilia using adeno-associated virus (AAV) derived vectors can reduce or eliminate patients' disease-related complications and improve their quality of life. Broad implementation globally will lead to societal gains and foster health equity. Several vector products each for factor IX (FIX) or factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency are in advanced clinical development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Children with haemophilia have been reported with increased rates of inattention (IN) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) and, therefore, are particularly vulnerable to poor social and academic outcomes.
Aim: To examine the benefit of utilizing a formal screening process for IN/HI in children with haemophilia during comprehensive clinic visits using a quality improvement approach.
Methods: At a single haemophilia treatment centre, screening for psychosocial issues was expanded and formalised to include (1) the Conners 3 Edition (Conners3) screening tool for IN/HI symptoms administered during the standard psychosocial assessment (SPA) by the social worker and school advocacy coordinator, (2) formal pathways to diagnosis and intervention as indicated including psychology consultation, psychological testing, or referral to community-based mental health professionals, and in-person advocacy assistance in the patient's community school.
Background: FLT180a (verbrinacogene setparvovec) is a liver-directed adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy that uses a synthetic capsid and a gain-of-function protein to normalize factor IX levels in patients with hemophilia B.
Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, phase 1-2 trial, we assessed the safety and efficacy of varying doses of FLT180a in patients with severe or moderately severe hemophilia B (factor IX level, ≤2% of normal value). All the patients received glucocorticoids with or without tacrolimus for immunosuppression to decrease the risk of vector-related immune responses.
Introduction: Gene therapy is emerging as a potential cure for haemophilia. Gene therapy is a one-time treatment that can elevate factor levels for many years and minimize or eliminate the need for clotting factor concentrate (CFC) replacement therapy. However, there is a paucity of reports on gene therapy efforts in countries outside of North America or Europe, especially in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The B-Natural study is a multicentre, multinational, observational study of haemophilia B (HB) designed to increase understanding of clinical manifestations, treatment and quality of life (QoL).
Aim: To characterise and compare QoL in HB across disease severity groups and individuals with inhibitors to identify gaps in treatment.
Methods: A total of 224 individuals from 107 families were enrolled from a total of 24 centres in North America (n = 16), Europe (n = 7) and Asia (n = 1).
Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy is a novel treatment promising to reduce morbidity associated with hemophilia. Although multiple clinical trials continue to evaluate efficacy and safety, limited cost-effectiveness data have been published. This study compared the potential cost-effectiveness of AAV-mediated factor IX (FIX)-Padua gene therapy for patients with severe hemophilia B in the United States vs on-demand FIX replacement and primary FIX prophylaxis, using either standard or extended half-life FIX products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Immunosuppressive therapy with horse antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine currently remains the standard therapy for children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who lack human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling. The thrombopoietin receptor agonist eltrombopag has been recently approved for SAA patients 2 years and older. However, there are limited data on its safety and efficacy in pediatric cohorts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Extended half-life (EHL) factor VIII (FVIII) products may decrease the burden of prophylactic treatment in haemophilia A by reducing infusion frequency. However, these products still exhibit wide inter-patient variability and benefit from pharmacokinetic (PK) tailoring.
Objective: Identify limited sampling strategies for rFVIIIFc, an EHL FVIII product, that produce accurate estimates of PK parameters and relevant troughs.
Gene therapy is an opportunity for haemophilia patients to receive a one-time treatment and have lasting factor levels for years or decades instead of dependence on repeated administration within short intervals and on sustained supply of drug. Great strides have been made in the development of gene therapy for haemophilia in the last decade. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated gene transfer in haemophilia A and B has entered the phase III trial stage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Haemophilia is a genetic disorder characterized by spontaneous or provoked, often uncontrolled, bleeding into joints, muscles and other soft tissues. Current methods of treatment are expensive, challenging and involve regular administration of clotting factors. Gene therapy for haemophilia is a curative treatment modality currently under investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been used off-label to treat or prevent severe bleeding in patients for whom conventional treatments are unsuccessful. However, studies in children remain limited.
Procedure: To examine the efficacy and safety of rFVIIa, we performed a retrospective analysis of rFVIIa off-label use in a pediatric hematology/oncology cohort at a single center from 2006 to 2014.
Pediatr Crit Care Med
September 2018
Objectives: Pediatric intensivists frequently prescribe platelet transfusions to critically ill children, but there are limited data on platelet transfusion practice and platelet transfusion-related outcomes in the PICU. In this study, we evaluated the current platelet transfusion practice and platelet transfusion-related outcomes in the PICU.
Design: Institutional review board-approved, retrospective cohort study from January 2010 to March 2016.
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma (ALL) undergo multiple lumbar punctures (LPs) and frequently require low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for thromboembolic complications. We evaluated if withholding LMWH 24 hours before and after LPs prevented bleeding complications. Children (n=133) with ALL from who were: (1) treated at St.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Haemophilia is a genetic disorder characterized by spontaneous or provoked, often uncontrolled, bleeding into joints, muscles and other soft tissues. Current methods of treatment are expensive, challenging and involve regular administration of clotting factors. Gene therapy has recently been prompted as a curative treatment modality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Opin Biol Ther
September 2016
Introduction: The development of anti-factor VIII (FVIII) antibodies (inhibitors) is the most serious treatment-related complication in patients with hemophilia A, rendering standard replacement therapy ineffective, heightening the risk for uncontrollable bleeding and morbidity, decreasing quality of life, and increasing healthcare costs.
Aim: Formulate evidence-based guidelines for optimizing immune tolerance induction (ITI) in patients with hemophilia A and inhibitors.
Methods: Results from the International ITI study and other available evidence were used to develop guidelines for ITI.