Pfizer reinstates commitment to patients living with haemophilia

Pfizer has reiterated its goal to make sure patients living with haemophilia are seen, heard, and never forgotten as it continues to work tirelessly to find break- through solutions and therapeutic options to change their lives.

Also, the company has reinforced its longstanding commitment to haemophilia awareness while driving home the need for innovation in access its treatments.

The pharmaceutical company made these known during a media round table to commemorate 2023 World Hemophilia Day.

Kodjo Soroh, Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer commented: “Pfizer’s efforts at advancing treatment for haemophilia and bridge gaps in access to care resonates with this year’s theme of World Hemophilia Day’s (WHD) Ac- cess For All: Prevention of Bleeds. Pfizer’s commitment to equity and continued investment in hemophilia is evident in its more than 30 years of experience in developing therapies for haematological disorders as it has a Pfizer reinstates commitment to patients living with haemophilia deep understanding of the significant challenges that people living with haemophilia continually face.

Therefore, we will continue to amplify and celebrate the work of the global haemophilia community as we create awareness on the need for innovation in access to haemophilia treatments.”

Prof. Akanmu Sulaimon, Professor of Haematology and Blood Transfusion of the University of Lagos commented: “Haemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder that causes the blood to take a long time to clot because of a deficiency in one of several blood clotting factors, is almost exclusively found in males. People with haemophilia are at risk for excessive and recurrent bleeding from modest injuries, which have the potential to be life threatening. People with severe haemophilia often bleed spontaneously into their muscles or joints, or rarely into other critical closed spaces such as the intracranial space, where bleeding can be fatal. According to the World Federation of Haemophilia(WFH), an international not-for-profit organisation, more than 38,000 people worldwide were living with haemophilia B in 2021. WFH works closely in partnership with haemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) in 29 African countries to share knowledge and build global awareness through information exchange, education, and training.

WFH also provides 24 million units of CFCs per year to patients in sub-Saharan Africa through a humanitarian aid pro- gram. 4 Pfizer is a visionary partner of the World Federation of Hemophilia for WHD.” Dr. Vivian Painstil, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Child Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana and a Senior Specialist Paediatrician working at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi commented: “The burden people living with hemophilia B face is significant, with many receiving routine infusions or injections which can interfere with their ability to take part in day-to-day activities that many take for granted,” said Adam Cuker, MD, MS, Director, Penn Comprehensive and Haemophilia Thrombosis Programme.

“The BENEGENE-2 data demonstrate the promise of this gene therapy candidate as a po- tential one-time option for people liv- ing with hemophilia B as a means of reducing the clinical and treatment burden over the long term.”