In 1996, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) launched its Humanitarian Aid Program; it later expanded the program in 2016 to better reach and support patients with hemophilia. The program works to provide patients with bleeding disorders with adequate treatment options, particularly those in developing countries. According to Hemophilia News Today, CSL Behring – a leading global biotechnology company – has pledged to donate 500M international units (IUs) of coagulation factor therapy to this program. CSL Behring hopes that this donation, and a further donation of 50M units over the coming years, will help combat issues related to medication access.
CSL Behring Donation to the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program
According to the WFH website, the Humanitarian Aid Program:
improves the lack of access to care and treatment by providing much-needed support to national member organizations (NMOs), hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs), and healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in emerging countries. Since its creation, the Program has treated more than 22,000 patients with donated factor and non-factor replacement therapies in more than 112 countries.
The particular donation being made by CSL Behring will have a shelf life of three years. Altogether, the company hopes that this will increase medication accessibility for those in need. Currently, the first donation is set to take place in early 2023. CSL Behring will also continue to make donations over the coming 5 years.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leading global biotech company which is developing plasma-derived and recombinant therapies for serious and rare illnesses. Currently, products in the development pipeline include CSL889 for sickle cell disease (SCD), HIZENTRA for systemic sclerosis, AFSTYLA for hemophilia A, and CSL324 for hidradenitis suppurativa. Learn more about CSL Behring.
What is Hemophilia?
Normally, clotting factors in our blood help close wounds and stop bleeding after a cut, injury, or even surgical procedure. But for people with hemophilia, who lack certain clotting factors, bleeding can become excessive, prolonged, and in some cases, dangerous. This rare bleeding disorder, caused by F8 or F9 gene mutations, is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern. There are two forms – A and B – which correlate to the above mutations, respectively. In rarer cases, the mutations may occur spontaneously. Hemophilia affects significantly more males than females, with females more likely to be carriers. Symptoms vary based on the amount of clotting factor levels that one has. Potential symptoms may include:
- Irritability (in infants)
- Easy bruising and bleeding, including large, deep bruises
- Seemingly random nosebleeds
- Excessive bleeding following cuts, injuries, dental work, surgeries, or vaccinations
- Joint pain and swelling
- Bloody urine or stool
In some cases, symptoms may appear which constitute an emergency. If you have hemophilia and are experiencing any of the following symptoms, please seek assistance from your physician or the hospital as soon as possible:
- Neck pain
- Double vision
- Excessive fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Intense headache
- Prolonged, heavy bleeding
- Sudden joint pain, warmth, and inflammation
