- The renewed commitment will provide continued preventative (prophylactic) treatment to as many as 1,000 people with haemophilia A in locations where there is little to no access to haemophilia treatment
- Prophylactic treatment aims to prevent bleeds and allow people with haemophilia to achieve quality of life comparable to non-haemophilic individuals. Access to this is particularly restricted in developing countries, with the limited healthcare resources reserved for emergency situations and acute bleeds
- More than 940 people across 30 countries have already benefited from Roche’s donations since the start of the partnership in
February 2019
“Our renewed commitment will allow us to continue to help people with haemophilia A most in need,” said
"Last year was a record year for the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, which continues to make life-changing treatment accessible for those who need it most,” said
Most people with bleeding disorders in developing countries have no access to diagnosis, treatment and care,1 which significantly affects their health, quality of life and life expectancy. Access to prophylactic treatment – the standard of care for haemophilia A to prevent bleeds in most of the developed world – is particularly restricted in developing countries, with the limited healthcare resources reserved for emergency situations and acute bleeds.2,3 In some developing countries, low dose prophylaxis has been developed as a solution to provide better care for those with haemophilia,4 although this does not provide the standard of care seen with higher dose prophylaxis regimens, considered the ‘gold standard’.2 People with severe haemophilia in these countries often do not survive to adulthood because they are unable to access the treatment they critically need.5 For those who do, life often entails severe disability, isolation and chronic pain.
The WFH Humanitarian Aid Program is a landmark initiative leading the effort to help address the lack of access to care and treatment by providing much-needed support for people with inherited bleeding disorders in developing countries. So far, more than 22,000 people with haemophilia in over 112 countries have been treated with prophylactic and on-demand treatment thanks to the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, with over 2,000 receiving prophylactic treatment.6
“Thanks to the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program, more people with haemophilia A are able to benefit from our prophylactic treatment, originated by Chugai; providing not only sustainable care to the individual, but ultimately benefiting their societies as a whole,” said Dr
About The WFH Humanitarian Aid Program
The WFH Humanitarian Aid Program improves the lack of access to care and treatment by providing much-needed support for people with inherited bleeding disorders in developing countries. By providing patients with a more predictable and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid donations, the WFH Humanitarian Aid Program makes it possible for patients to receive consistent and reliable access to treatment and care. None of this would be possible without the generous support of Sanofi and Sobi, our Founding Visionary Contributors; Bayer,
About haemophilia A
Haemophilia A is an inherited, serious disorder in which a person’s blood does not clot properly, leading to uncontrolled and often spontaneous bleeding. Haemophilia A affects around 900,000 people worldwide, approximately 35-39% of whom have a severe form of the disorder. People with haemophilia A either lack or do not have enough of a clotting protein called factor VIII. In a healthy person, when a bleed occurs, factor VIII brings together the clotting factors IXa and X, which is a critical step in the formation of a blood clot to help stop bleeding. Depending on the severity of their disorder, people with haemophilia A can bleed frequently, especially into their joints or muscles. These bleeds can present a significant health concern as they often cause pain and can lead to chronic swelling, deformity, reduced mobility, and long-term joint damage. A serious complication of treatment is the development of inhibitors to factor VIII replacement therapies. Inhibitors are antibodies developed by the body’s immune system that bind to and block the efficacy of replacement factor VIII, making it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain a level of factor VIII sufficient to control bleeding.
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References
[1]
[2] Poon MC and Lee A. Individualized prophylaxis for optimizing hemophilia care: can we apply this to both developed and developing nations?
[3] De Kleijn P. et al. Differences between developed and developing countries in paediatric care in haemophilia. Haemophilia. 2012;18:94-100.
[4] Sidharthan N and Sudevan R. Low Dose Prophylaxis in Hemophilia Care. Indian J Hematol Blood Transfus. 2020 Jan;36(1):16-25.
[5] Ghosh K and Ghosh K. Management of haemophilia in developing countries: challenges and options. Indian J Hematol Bloos Transfus. 2016 July-Sept; 32(3):347-355.
[6]
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Attachment
- 05102022_MR_WFH Humanitarian Aid Program_en
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