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Canada expands approval for antihemophilic factor


 

Photo courtesy of Baxalta

Adynovate

Health Canada has extended the approved indication for Adynovate, a recombinant pegylated factor VIII (FVIII) product, in patients with hemophilia A.

The product is now approved for use in hemophilia A patients under the age of 12 for the control and prevention of bleeding episodes, as prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding, and for perioperative management of bleeding.

Adynovate (formerly BAX 855) was first approved in Canada in November 2016. At that time, it was authorized for use in hemophilia A patients age 12 and older as on-demand treatment, as prophylaxis, and for perioperative management.

Adynovate is built on the full-length Advate molecule, but Adynovate leverages pegylation technology designed to extend the amount of FVIII available for use in the body.

The technology was selected because it maintains the integrity of the parent molecule (Advate) while reducing the time at which the body clears Adynovate, resulting in an extended circulating half-life.

Health Canada’s decision to expand the indication for Adynovate is supported by results from a phase 3 trial of pediatric patients as well as a phase 3 trial of patients undergoing surgery.

Pediatric trial

The pediatric trial enrolled 73 patients, ages 1 to 11, with previously treated hemophilia A.

Sixty-six patients received twice-weekly prophylaxis with Adynovate (50 ± 10 IU/kg) for at least 6 months or 50 exposure days, whichever occurred last.

The median annualized bleeding rate was 2.0 for all bleeds and 0 for both joint and spontaneous bleeds.

Thirty-eight percent of patients did not have any bleeding episodes, 67% had no spontaneous bleeds, and 73% had no joint bleeds.

One patient developed inhibitors, but there were no other treatment-related adverse events.

Results from this trial were published in Haemophilia in November 2016 and are available in the Canadian product monograph for Adynovate.

Perioperative study

The perioperative study included 15 patients, ages 19 to 52, with severe hemophilia A who were undergoing surgical procedures (11 of them major and four minor).

The patients received Adynovate at varying doses and schedules, depending on each patient’s pharmacokinetic profile for major procedures or Adynovate incremental recovery for minor procedures.

Intraoperative and perioperative hemostatic efficacy of Adynovate was deemed “excellent” for all 15 patients. The “excellent” rating meant that blood loss was less than or equal to that expected for the type of procedure performed in a non-hemophilic population.

Postoperatively (day 1 after the procedure), hemostatic efficacy was rated “good” for one procedure and “excellent” for the rest. The “good” rating meant that postoperative blood loss was up to 50% more than expected for the type of procedure performed in a non-hemophilic population.

There were no treatment-related adverse events or signs of immunogenicity in this trial.

Results were published in Haemophilia in June 2016 and are available in the Canadian product monograph for Adynovate.

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