The aim of this open-label, multicentre and multinational post-marketing surveillance was to investigate clinical effectiveness, safety and tolerability of a plasma-derived and vWF containing factor VIII product (FVIII/VWF) in patients with severe haemophilia A. Long-term effectiveness, safety and tolerability were investigated in a total of 109 haemophilia A patients treated for prophylaxis or on-demand, as required. Interim data collected until June 2010 are presented. Most patients (99/109; 90.8%) were previously treated patients (PTPs). Mean observation period was 82.6 months. Overall, patients received 105 131 425 IU haemoctin SDH during 68 624 administrations. Each patient was given a mean of 635.4 injections, whereby about half of the administrations were given for treatment of bleeding episodes (46.9%) and the other administrations for prophylactic reasons (53.1%). Patients on prophylaxis had a median of 0.8 bleeding episodes per month. The expected therapeutic effect was reached in 99.3% of treatments. The incidence of clinically relevant inhibitor formation in patients with severe haemophilia (FVIII activity ≤ 1%) was 1.2% for PTPs. One previously untreated patient with severe haemophilia had a clinically relevant transient inhibitor. No treatment related transmissions of hepatitis A, B and C and HIV 1/2 were observed. German patients had a higher extent of exposure and experienced less bleeding episodes than Hungarian patients. In conclusion, haemoctin SDH was effective, safe and well tolerated in long-term prophylaxis and treatment on demand.
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.