Daily NovoSeven cuts bleed frequency 45%

Dutch insulin giant Novo Nordisk presented strong data at the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, held in Orlando, Florida, from a study of its NovoSeven coagulation factor VIIa (recombinant) for secondary prophylaxis in patients with hemophilia complicated by inhibitors.

The study showed that once-daily NovoSeven, when used for a three-month period in patients with hemophilia A or B complicated by inhibitors, significantly reduced the frequency of bleeding episodes, particularly spontaneous joint bleeds, compared with acute treatment only when a bleed occurred. Secondary prophylaxis is when a treatment is used for a defined period of time in anticipation of reducing repeated bleeding, unlike primary prophylaxis, which is when a treatment is used to reduce or prevent joint disease, the firm noted.

In the study, bleed frequency was reduced 45% and 59% with a daily dose of NovoSeven at either 90mcg/kg or 270mcg/kg, respectively (p<0.0001 for both), compared with a pre-treatment three-month observation period during which therapy was only used at the time of a bleed. In addition, clinically relevant reductions in bleeding were maintained during the three-month observation period immediately following three months of treatment during which only on-demand therapy was used. Bleed frequency fell 27% at 90mcg/kg (p<0.0001) and 50% at 270mcg/kg (p<0.0001), the firm noted.