Page 21 - HFA Dateline 2022 Special Edition

Factor
Is

Still Relevant?

With the promise of gene therapy and

other advancements, will prophylaxis

factor be a thing of the past?

BY JENNIFER LARSON, FREELANCE WRITER

sing factor as a prophylactic treatment to ward off bleeds has become
a regular part of the lives of people with bleeding disorders. However,
Uadvances in medical technology offer hope for products and therapies that
might reduce or eliminate the need for frequent infusions. In fact, some already
exist, but many more are in the clinical trial pipeline. But what does that mean for
factor products? How relevant will standard and extended half-life factor be in light
of the ongoing development of new products, including gene therapy?
Many experts don’t think that advances such as gene therapy will eliminate the
role of factor and factor products—at least not any time soon.
“I think factor is going to be around for quite a while, let me just say that,”
said David Clark, PhD, chair of the Coalition for Hemophilia B. Clark is a retired
pharmaceutical scientist who helped develop plasma and recombinant factor VIII
and factor IX products.

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