Target Joint Bleeding in Pediatric Patients with Hemophilia Α Receiving Twice Weekly Prophylaxis with a Pegylated Full-Length Recombinant Factor VIII with Extended Half-Life
Authors: Dunn Amy L. , Thompson Alexis A. , Engl Werner , Sharkhawy Marlies , Abbuehl Brigitt E. 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Introduction: Patients with hemophilia A are at risk for acute bleeding which may affect muscles and other soft tissues but characteristically involves joints. Prophylaxis with factor VIII (FVIII) is the optimal treatment to prevent bleeding into joints and, when begun at a young age, may prevent arthropathy. BAX 8551, a polyethylene glycol (peg)ylated, full-length, recombinant FVIII built on ADVATE2, demonstrated extended half-life, efficacy, and safety for prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding in patients with severe hemophilia A.
Methods: A phase 3, prospective, uncontrolled, multicenter study was performed in pediatric patients with severe hemophilia A without history of inhibitors. To be eligible, patients aged <6 years had to have ≥50, those aged 6 to <12 years ≥150 previous exposure days (EDs) to FVIII. Patients received twice weekly infusions of 50 ±10 IU/kg of BAX 855 over a period of 6 months or ≥50 EDs. The prevalence of target joints, defined as a single joint with ≥3 spontaneous bleeding episodes in any consecutive 6-month period, was assessed at baseline. Annualized rates of target joint bleeds and the course of target joints were evaluated by age (<6 and 6 to <12 years). The study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association.
Results:Sixty-six patients were treated with a mean (SD) BAX 855 dose of 51.1 (5.5) IU/kg at a mean (SD) frequency of 1.8 (0.2) infusions/week. Fourteen of 66 patients (21.2%), 3/32 (9.4%) in the younger and 11/34 (32.4%) in the older cohort, had a total of 23 target joints at screening. The number of target joint bleeds decreased during a mean (SD) of 48.5 (7.7; median: 49.0) prophylactic EDs/patient. Five of 66 (7.6%) patients had at least 1 target joint bleed, 1/32 (3.1%) in the younger and 4/34 (11.8%) in the older cohort.
The point estimate for the mean (95% CI) annualized rate of target joint bleeds was 0 (0 - infinity; median: 0) compared to an annualized rate of all joint bleeds of 1.1 (0.6 - 1.9; median: 0) and an annualized rate of all bleeds of 3.0 (2.2 - 4.2; median: 2.0) (Table 1).
The point estimate for the mean (95% CI) annualized bleeding rate (ABR) in 52 patients without target joints was 2.9 (2.0 - 4.2; median: 2.0) and was similar in 14 patients with target joints at screening at 3.5 (1.9 - 6.6; median: 2.1). In the younger cohort, the ABR was lower in patients with than those without target joints. However, the number of patients <6 years with target joints (N = 3) was too small to draw any conclusions (Table 1).
During BAX 855 prophylaxis, no new target joints developed in any patient. Ten of 14 patients had at least 1 target joint revert to a non-target joint. In 8 of these 10 patients, 4 with 1 and 4 with 2 target joints, all target joints resolved.
Conclusions:These results suggest that twice weekly infusion of BAX 855 is effective in the prevention of bleeding into target joints and may revert target to non-target joints in pediatric patients with severe hemophilia A.
1BAX 855 (Baxalta US Inc., now part of Shire) is licensed in the US and Japan under the trade name ADYNOVATE.
2ADVATE is a trade mark of Baxalta US Inc., now part of Shire.

Disclosures
Dunn: NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Kedrion: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Biogen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Baxalta (now part of Shire): Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Octapharma: Research Funding. Thompson:Eli Lily: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; bluebird bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; ApoPharma: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mast: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Baxalta (now part of Shire): Research Funding. Engl:Shire: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sharkhawy:Baxalta (now part of Shire): Employment. Abbuehl:Baxalta (now part of Shire): Employment.