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Abstract: Fitusiran, a subcutaneous investigational small interfering RNA therapeutic, targets antithrombin to rebalance hemostasis in people with hemophilia A or B (PwHA/B), irrespective of inhibitor status. This phase 3, open-label study evaluated the efficacy and safety of fitusiran prophylaxis in males aged ≥12 years with hemophilia A or B, with or without inhibitors, who received prior bypassing agent (BPA)/clotting factor concentrate (CFC) prophylaxis. Participants continued their prior BPA/CFC prophylaxis for 6 months before switching to once-monthly 80 mg fitusiran prophylaxis for 7 months (onset and efficacy periods). Primary end point was annualized bleeding rate (ABR) in the BPA/CFC prophylaxis and fitusiran efficacy period. Secondary end points included spontaneous ABR (AsBR) and joint ABR (AjBR). Safety and tolerability were assessed. Of 80 enrolled participants, 65 (inhibitor, n = 19; noninhibitor, n = 46) were eligible for ABR analyses. Observed median ABRs were 6.5 (interquartile range [IQR], 2.2-19.6)/4.4 (IQR, 2.2-8.7) with BPA/CFC prophylaxis vs 0.0 (IQR, 0.0-0.0)/0.0 (IQR, 0.0-2.7) in the corresponding fitusiran efficacy period. Estimated mean ABRs were substantially reduced with fitusiran by 79.7% (P = .0021) and 46.4% (P = .0598) vs BPA/CFC prophylaxis, respectively. Forty-one participants (63.1%) experienced 0 treated bleeds with fitusiran vs 11 (16.9%) with BPAs/CFCs. Median AsBR and AjBR were both 2.2 with BPA/CFC prophylaxis and 0.0 in the fitusiran efficacy period. Two participants (3.0%) experienced suspected or confirmed thromboembolic events with fitusiran. Once-monthly fitusiran prophylaxis significantly reduced bleeding events vs BPA/CFC prophylaxis in PwHA/B, with or without inhibitors, and reported adverse events were generally consistent with previously identified risks of fitusiran. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT03549871., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Aim: We aimed to compare the outcomes of total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) in haemophilic patients compared to matched controls., Methods: Through a literature search we identified all cohort studies comparing perioperative complications and other outcomes of THA and TKA in haemophilic patients and matched controls without haemophilia. Results of the same outcome measure assessed by two or more studies were pooled in meta-analyses; odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The risk of bias in included studies and certainty of evidence of each result were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the GRADE tool respectively., Results: A total of five retrospective studies with matched controls were included; four of them were of good and one of fair quality. Based on moderate certainty evidence, compared to matched controls, patients with haemophilia had a significantly higher incidence of the following complications after a) TKA: periprosthetic joint infection [PJI; OR 1.6 CI (1.3, 1.9)], 1-year revision/re-operation [OR 1.4 CI (1.2, 1.8)] and b) THA: major and minor 90-day complications [major OR 2.2 CI (1.7, 2.9); minor OR 1.4 CI (1.1, 1.8)], venous thromboembolism [OR 3.1 CI (2.1, 4.6)]. PJI incidence in THA was not different in haemophilia compared to controls [OR 1.5 CI (.9, 2.6)]., Conclusion: Our results can be used by healthcare professionals counselling patients with haemophilia considering a THA or TKA as part of the informed consent process. We provide detailed clinical recommendations for the perioperative management of THA and TKA in haemophilic patients., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Fitusiran, a subcutaneous investigational siRNA therapeutic, targets antithrombin with the goal of rebalancing haemostasis in people with haemophilia A or haemophilia B, regardless of inhibitor status. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fitusiran prophylaxis in people with severe haemophilia without inhibitors., Methods: This multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 study was conducted at 45 sites in 17 countries. Male participants aged at least 12 years with severe haemophilia A or B without inhibitors, who had previously been treated on-demand with clotting factor concentrates, were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive 80 mg subcutaneous fitusiran prophylaxis once per month or to continue on-demand clotting factor concentrates for a total of 9 months. Randomisation was stratified by the number of bleeding events in the 6 months before screening (≤10 bleeds and >10 bleeds) and by haemophilia type (haemophilia A or B). The primary endpoint was annualised bleeding rate, analysed in the intention-to-treat analysis set. Safety and tolerability were assessed in the safety analysis set. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03417245, and is complete., Findings: Between March 1, 2018, and July 14, 2021, 177 male participants were screened for eligibility and 120 were randomly assigned to receive fitusiran prophylaxis (n=80) or on-demand clotting factor concentrates (n=40). Median follow-up was 7·8 months (IQR 7·8-7·8) in the fitusiran group and 7·8 months (7·8-7·8) in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group. The median annualised bleeding rate was 0·0 (0·0-3·4) in the fitusiran group and 21·8 (8·4-41·0) in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group. The estimated mean annualised bleeding rate was significantly lower in the fitusiran prophylaxis group (3·1 [95% CI 2·3-4·3]) than in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group (31·0 [21·1-45·5]; rate ratio 0·101 [95% CI 0·064-0·159]; p<0·0001). In the fitusiran group, 40 (51%) of 79 treated participants had no treated bleeds compared with two (5%) of 40 participants in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group. Increased alanine aminotransferase concentration (18 [23%] of 79 participants in the safety analysis set) was the most common treatment-emergent adverse event in the fitusiran group and hypertension (four (10%) of 40 participants) was the most common in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group. Treatment-emergent serious adverse events were reported in five (6%) participants in the fitusiran group (cholelithiasis [n=2, 3%], cholecystitis [n=1, 1%], lower respiratory tract infection [n=1, 1%], and asthma [n=1, 1%]) and five (13%) participants in the on-demand clotting factor concentrates group (gastroenteritis, pneumonia, suicidal ideation, diplopia, osteoarthritis, epidural haemorrhage, humerus fracture, subdural haemorrhage, and tibia fracture [all n=1, 3%]). No treatment-related thrombosis or deaths were reported., Interpretation: In participants with haemophilia A or B without inhibitors, fitusiran prophylaxis resulted in significant reductions in annualised bleeding rate compared with on-demand clotting factor concentrates and no bleeding events in approximately half of participants. Fitusiran prophylaxis shows haemostatic efficacy in both haemophilia A and haemophilia B, and therefore has the potential to be transformative in the management of all people with haemophilia., Funding: Sanofi., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests AS is a member of advisory boards and grant review committees for Sanofi, Takeda, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Pfizer, and Bayer Healthcare and has received research funding from Roche, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Pfizer. SR has received honoraria for consulting from Reliance Life Sciences; participated in a speakers bureau for Takeda; and has been a member of advisory boards for Pfizer, Sanofi, and Sigilon Therapeutics. KK has received honoraria from and attended speakers bureaus for Pfizer, Bayer, Takeda, Roche, and Novo Nordisk and is on advisory committees for Pfizer, Bayer, Takeda, Roche, and Novo Nordisk. RK has received research funding from Bayer and LEO Pharma; received honoraria from Bayer, Biotest, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Daiichi Sankyo, LEO Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Sobi, and Takeda; and attended speakers bureaus for Bayer, Biotest, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Daiichi Sankyo, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Sobi, and Takeda. GK consults for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, OPKO Biologics, Pfizer, Takeda, Roche, Sanofi, and uniQure; has received research funding from Alnylam, Bayer, Bio Products Laboratory, OPKO Biologics, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda; has attended speakers bureaus for Bayer, Pfizer, CSL Behring, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk, and Roche; and is on advisory committees for Alnylam, Bayer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, OPKO Biologics, Pfizer, Takeda, Roche, Sanofi, and uniQure. LK has received research funding from Roche and honoraria from Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, and Roche; has participated in speakers bureaus for Roche, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, and Takeda; and is on advisory committees for Roche, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk. C-YC has received research funding from Bayer and Sanofi and honoraria from Bayer, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Takeda, Chugai Pharmaceutical, and Pfizer; and has participated in advisory boards for Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Bayer, and Chugai Pharmaceutical. NM has received research funding for clinical research yet to be conducted and is vice-chair of St Francis Hospice, South Africa. LF has received research funding from Pfizer, Roche, Sobi, and CSL Behring. OS has received research funding and honoraria from Novo Nordisk, Shire Pharmaceuticals, CSL Behring, Sanofi, Pfizer, and LFB and has participated in speaker bureaus for Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Octapharma and Roche. SP, ZQ, and SA are current employees of, and equity holders in, Sanofi. BM was an employee of and equity holder in Sanofi at the time of the study and has divested equity in Sanofi in the past 24 months; he is currently an employee of Editas Medicine. SWP has received consultancy fees from ApcinteX, ASC Therapeutics, Bayer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, CSL Behring, GeneVentiv, HEMA Biologics, Freeline Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron/Intellia, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi, Takeda, Spark Therapeutics, and uniQure; has received research funding from Siemens; and is a member of a scientific advisory committee for GeneVentiv. C-WY, WX, and CNB declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Detailed information on the onset, frequency, and severity of bleeding in nonsevere hemophilia is limited. We aimed to assess the bleeding phenotype of persons with nonsevere hemophilia and to analyze the association between baseline factor VIII/IX (FVIII/IX) levels and the joint bleeding rate. In the DYNAMO (Dynamic Interplay Between Bleeding Phenotype and Baseline Factor Level in Moderate and Mild Hemophilia A and B) study, an international multicenter cohort, we included males with nonsevere hemophilia (FVIII/IX, 0.02-0.35 IU/mL) aged 12 to 55 years. Information on age at first treated (joint) bleed, annual bleeding rates (ABRs), and annual joint bleeding rates (AJBRs) was collected from the medical files. The association between baseline FVIII/IX levels and the joint bleeding rate was assessed by using a frailty model for recurrent events. In total, 304 persons (70 with moderate hemophilia and 234 with mild hemophilia) were included. The median age was 38 years (interquartile range [IQR], 25-49 years), and the median baseline FVIII/IX level was 0.12 IU/mL (IQR, 0.05-0.21 IU/mL). In total, 245 (81%) persons had experienced at least 1 bleed, and 156 (51%) had experienced at least 1 joint bleed. The median age at first bleed and first joint bleed was 8 and 10 years, respectively. The median ABR and AJBR was 0.2 (IQR, 0.1-0.5) and 0.0 (IQR, 0.0-0.2). From baseline FVIII/IX levels 0.02 to 0.05 IU/mL to >0.25 IU/mL, the median ABR decreased from 0.6 (IQR, 0.2-1.4) to 0.1 (IQR, 0.0-0.2) and the AJBR from 0.2 (IQR, 0.0-0.4) to 0.0 (IQR, 0.0-0.0). Baseline FVIII/IX was inversely associated with the joint bleeding rate (P < .001). Low bleeding rates were observed in persons with nonsevere hemophilia. However, one-half of all adolescents and adults had experienced a joint bleed., (© 2022 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Introduction: Despite increasing awareness of issues faced by women and girls with inherited BDs (WGBD), standards of care are lacking, with disparities in diagnosis and treatment for WGBD across Europe. We aimed to develop practical principles of care (PoC) to promote standardization of care for WGBD within European Haemophilia Treatment and Comprehensive Care Centres (HTC/CCCs)., Methods: The co-creation process, supported by the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders, consisted of four multidisciplinary meetings with health care providers (HCPs) experienced in WGBD care, and European Haemophilia Consortium representatives, combined with broad patient and HCP consultations in the European haemophilia community. Relevant medical societies outside Europe were contacted for confirmation., Results: We developed ten PoC for WGBD, stressing the importance and benefits of a centralized, multidisciplinary, comprehensive, family-centred approach to support and manage WGBD during all life stages. These PoC emphasise the right to equitable access and quality of care for all people with BDs, irrespective of gender. Multiple medical societies outside Europe also confirmed their support for endorsement., Conclusions: Ten PoC for WGBD evolved from an iterative process among stakeholders, supported by relevant medical societies worldwide. These PoC can serve as a benchmark for diagnosis and comprehensive multidisciplinary management of WGBD, and improve awareness of their unique challenges. They offer a framework to guide HTC/CCCs in providing equitable care for all WGBD, both in their own services and in other healthcare settings. Implementation of these principles aims to positively impact the health, wellbeing and quality of life for WGBD., (© 2021 The Authors. Haemophilia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Fitusiran, an investigational small interfering RNA therapy, reduces antithrombin production to rebalance hemostasis in people with hemophilia A or B, with or without inhibitors., Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of fitusiran treatment for people with moderate/severe hemophilia A or B with inhibitors., Patients/methods: In this open-label phase 1, part D study, 17 males with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors received three once-monthly subcutaneous injections of fitusiran 50 mg (n = 6) or 80 mg (n = 11); followed for up to 112 days. Endpoints included safety (primary), pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (secondary), annualized bleeding rate, and patient-reported outcomes (exploratory)., Results: The most common adverse event was injection site erythema (n = 8). No thrombotic events were reported. At nadir, mean (standard error of the mean [SEM]) antithrombin activity decreased from baseline by 82.0% (2.2) and 87.4% (0.7) in the 50 mg and 80 mg groups, respectively. Antithrombin reduction was associated with increased thrombin generation. 11/17 (64.7%) participants had no bleeds during the observation period (mean [standard deviation] 69.4 [16.3] days). Mean (SEM) changes from baseline in Haemophilia Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults total (-9.2 [2.9]) and physical health (-12.3 [3.9]) domain scores suggested clinically meaningful improvement., Conclusions: Monthly fitusiran was generally well tolerated, lowered antithrombin levels from baseline, and resulted in improved thrombin generation. These preliminary results suggest that monthly fitusiran treatment may reduce bleeding episodes and improve quality of life in participants with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors., (© 2021 Sanofi. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.)

Over 70 years, the West of Scotland Haemophilia Centre in the UK has played a leading role in research, education and training. Its staff studied the natural history of haemophilias, their complications, and their treatment complications, pioneered the use of fibrinolytic inhibitors to reduce the risk of receiving a blood transfusion and developed national audit. Collaborations across Scotland with other haemophilia centres and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service progressed self-suffi ciency in NHS-produced factor concentrates, heat treatments to prevent HIV and hepatitis transmission, and finally, replacement of human by recombinant factor concentrates., Competing Interests: No conflict of interests declared