Adherence to prophylaxis and its association with activation of self-management and treatment satisfaction

Peri-operative desmopressin combined with pharmacokinetic-guided factor VIII concentrate in non-severe haemophilia A patients

INTRODUCTION

Non-severe haemophilia A patient can be treated with desmopressin or factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate. Combining both may reduce factor consumption, but its feasibility and safety has never been investigated.

AIM

We assessed the feasibility and safety of combination treatment in nonsevere haemophilia A patients.

METHODS

Non-severe, desmopressin responsive, haemophilia A patients were included in one of two studies investigating peri-operative combination treatment. In the single-arm DAVID study intravenous desmopressin (0.3 μg/kg) once-a-day was, after sampling, immediately followed by PK-guided FVIII concentrate, for maximally three consecutive days. The Little DAVID study was a randomized trial in patients undergoing a minor medical procedure, whom received either PK-guided combination treatment (intervention arm) or PK-guided FVIII concentrate only (standard arm) up to 2 days. Dose predictions were considered accurate if the absolute difference between predicted and measured FVIII:C was ≤0.2 IU/mL.

RESULTS

In total 32 patients (33 procedures) were included. In the DAVID study (n = 21), of the FVIII:C trough levels 73.7% (14/19) were predicted accurately on day 1 (D1), 76.5% (13/17) on D2. On D0, 61.9% (13/21) of peak FVIII:C levels predictions were accurate. In the Little DAVID study (n = 12), on D0 83.3% (5/6) FVIII:C peak levels for both study arms were predicted accurately. Combination treatment reduced preoperative FVIII concentrate use by 47% versus FVIII monotherapy. Desmopressin side effects were mild and transient. Two bleeds occurred, both despite FVIII:C > 1.00 IU/mL.

CONCLUSION

Peri-operative combination treatment with desmopressin and PK-guided FVIII concentrate dosing in nonsevere haemophilia A is feasible, safe and reduces FVIII consumption.

Adherence tool for prophylactic haemophilia treatment in adult and adolescent patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Hemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder resulting from a low level or deficiency of clotting factors. It is an x-linked recessive disease and happens almost exclusively in males whereas females are the carrier of the affected gene. The most common types of hemophilia are hemophilia A and Hemophilia B. Hemophilia is classified into mild, moderate and severe. Prophylaxis treatment has more advantages clinically compare to on-demand therapy. It may reduce the bleeding frequency, gives protection from joint damage, may lower the number of total bleeding episodes per year, and may reduce annualised spontaneous and trauma related bleeding events. However, prophylaxis treatment needs regular weekly infusions therefore it is painful to administer especially if the vein is difficult to access. It may cause pain at the site of injections and may lead to non-adherence to treatment. Non-adherence to a regimen will result in insufficient clotting factor levels in the body. The efficacy of the medication is reduced and may lead to a high bleeding tendency. Thus far, the study on adult haemophilic patient adherence tool is scarce and limited; and therefore this review is warranted. The study protocol is conducted as per the PRISMA-P guideline. There are 4 concepts in this systematic review which are Haemophilia, adult and adolescence, preventive treatment and adherence. Articles will be sought from electronic databases PUBMED, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, and SCOPUS using the MeSH term, synonym free-text word, truncation, and proximity operators as per each database. The proposed keywords within each concept will be joined using the Boolean operator "OR "and the 4 different concepts combined using the Boolean operator "AND". Search will be limited to Human, English language, and publication until 2022. Studies will be included if they meet the study inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies will be appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS) for observation-based studies. This systematic review does not require formal ethical approval as data will be extracted from selected published studies. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and relevant conference presentations.(PROSPERO registration CRD42021273813).

Transition readiness among adolescents and young adults with haemophilia in the Netherlands: Nationwide questionnaire study

INTRODUCTION

Care for adolescents with haemophilia is transferred from paediatric to adult care around the age of 18 years. Transition programs help to prepare adolescents for this transfer and prevent declining treatment adherence. Evaluating transition readiness may identify areas for improvement.

OBJECTIVE

Assess transition readiness among Dutch adolescents and young adults with haemophilia, determine factors associated with transition readiness, and identify areas of improvement in transition programs.

METHODS

All Dutch adolescents and young adults aged 12-25 years with haemophilia were invited to participate in a nationwide questionnaire study. Transition readiness was assessed using multiple-choice questions and was defined as being ready or almost ready for transition. Potential factors associated with transition readiness were investigated, including: socio-demographic and disease-related factors, treatment adherence, health-related quality of life, and self-efficacy.

RESULTS

Data of 45 adolescents and 84 young adults with haemophilia (47% with severe haemophilia) were analyzed. Transition readiness increased with age, from 39% in 12-14 year-olds to 63% in 15-17 year-olds. Nearly all post-transition young adults (92%, 77/84) reported they were ready for transition. Transition readiness was associated with treatment adherence, as median VERITAS-Pro treatment adherence scores were worse in patients who were not ready (17, IQR 9-29), compared to those ready for transition (11, IQR 9-16). Potential improvements were identified: getting better acquainted with the adult treatment team prior to transition and information on managing healthcare costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly all post-transition young adults reported they were ready for transition. Improvements were identified regarding team acquaintance and preparation for managing healthcare costs.

Patients' and health care providers' perspectives on quality of hemophilia care in the Netherlands: a questionnaire and interview study

Background

Hemophilia care has improved greatly because of advances in treatment options and comprehensive care. In-depth insight into the perspectives of persons with hemophilia and health care providers on their care may provide targets for further improvements.

Objectives

To assess satisfaction of the hemophilia population with their care, to explore factors determining care satisfaction, and to identify areas for potential health care improvements, including digital health tools.

Methods

First, to assess care satisfaction and factors determining satisfaction and health care improvements, data from a nationwide, cross-sectional questionnaire among 867 adult and pediatric Dutch persons with hemophilia A or B were analyzed. This included the Hemophilia Patient Satisfaction Scale questionnaire, Canadian Hemophilia Outcomes Kids' Life Assessment Tool satisfaction questions, a visual analog scale satisfaction score, and open questions. Second, to further explore factors determining satisfaction and health care improvements, semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 persons with hemophilia or their parents and 18 health care providers.

Results

High care satisfaction was found, with an overall median Hemophilia Patient Satisfaction Scale score of 12 (IQR, 6-21). Participants in the interviews reported that patient-professional interactions, availability of care, and coordination of care were major factors determining satisfaction. Suggested health care improvements included improved information provision and coordination of care, especially shared care with professionals not working within comprehensive care centers. Participants suggested that digital health tools could aid in this.

Conclusion

Satisfaction with hemophilia care is high among persons with hemophilia in the Netherlands, although several potential improvements have been identified. Accentuating these is especially relevant in the current era of treatment innovations, in which we might focus less on other aspects of care.

Modeling Benefits, Costs, and Affordability of a Novel Gene Therapy in Hemophilia A

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

The objective was to undertake an early cost-effectiveness assessment of valoctocogene roxaparvovec (valrox; Roctavian) compared to factor (F)VIII prophylaxis or emicizumab (Hemlibra; Roche HQ, Bazel, Switzerland) in patients with severe Hemophilia A (HA) without FVIII-antibodies. We also aimed to incorporate and quantify novel measures of value such as treatment durability, maximum value-based price (MVBP) and break-even time (ie, time until benefits begin to offset upfront payment). We constructed a Markov model to model bleeds over time which were linked to costs and quality-of-life decrements. In the valrox arm, FVIII over time was estimated combining initial effect and treatment waning and then linked to bleeds. In FVIII and emicizumab arms, bleeds were based on trial evidence. Evidence and assumptions were validated using expert elicitation. Model robustness was tested via sensitivity analyses. A Dutch societal perspective was applied with a 10-year time horizon. Valrox in comparison to FVIII, and emicizumab showed small increases in quality-adjusted life years at lower costs, and were therefore dominant. Valrox’ base case MVBP was estimated at €2.65 million/treatment compared to FVIII and €3.5 million/treatment versus emicizumab. Mean break-even time was 8.03 years compared to FVIII and 5.68 years to emicizumab. Early modeling of patients with HA in The Netherlands treated with valrox resulted in estimated improved health and lower cost compared to prophylactic FVIII and emicizumab. We also demonstrated feasibility of incorporation of treatment durability and novel outcomes such as value-based pricing scenarios and break-even time. Future work should aim to better characterize uncertainties and increase translation of early modeling to direct research efforts.

Adherence to prophylaxis and its association with activation of self-management and treatment satisfaction

INTRODUCTION

Prophylactic replacement therapy (prophylaxis) in patients with haemophilia (PWH) requires lifelong, frequent (self)infusions. Prophylaxis effectiveness depends on adherence, and the drivers of treatment adherence among PWH are unclear.

AIM

To quantify prophylaxis adherence and associations between adherence and patients' treatment attitudes and satisfaction in a large cohort of children and adults with haemophilia.

METHODS

In a nationwide, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study, PWH with complete information currently using prophylaxis were selected. Validated Hemophilia Regimen Treatment Adherence Scale-Prophylaxis (VERITAS-Pro; normalised score range: 0-100, optimum 0) measured treatment adherence; the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13; total score range 0-100, optimum 100) measured activation of self-management; Hemophilia Patient Satisfaction Scale (Hemo-Sat; range 0-100, optimum 0) measured treatment satisfaction. Groups were compared according to age (children: <12 years; adolescents: 12-18 years; adults >18 years) and adherence levels using non-parametric tests, and correlations were assessed using Spearman's rho.

RESULTS

Among 321 participants (median age 33 years, interquartile range [IQR]:15-54 years), adherence was high (median VERITAS-Pro total score 17, 89% adherent) but worsened with age, with median scores of 5, 14 and 20 in children, adolescents, adults, respectively (p < .001). Attitudes towards treatment (median 66 vs. 68) participants and treatment satisfaction (12 vs. 10) were similar between adherent and non-adherent patients. The VERITAS-Pro total score was moderately correlated with PAM-13 (r = .41) but not with Hemo-Sat (r = -.11).

DISCUSSION

Prophylaxis adherence was high (89%) but decreased significantly with age and was not correlated with treatment attitude or treatment satisfaction.