Roche will donate its new hemophilia A drug emicizumab-kxwh to the World Hemophilia Federation (WHF) Humanitarian Aid Program. Roche joins other companies – including Bioverativ, Sobi, CSL Behring, and Grifols – that have contributed to the program, which helped more than 16,000 patients in 60 countries in 2017.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially approved emicizumab-kxwh in 2017 as prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A with factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors; it expanded the indication to include patients without inhibitors in October 2018. The list price of emicizumab-kxwh is approximately $530,000 during the first year and $492,000 annually thereafter, according to Roche.
"Significantly more people with hemophilia A will be able to receive prophylaxis [through this program]," WFH President Alain Weill told Reuters. "Importantly, the donation will also provide a treatment option for people with hemophilia A with factor VIII inhibitors who previously had very limited or no treatment."
Source: Reuters, February 6, 2019.