Samantha C. Gouw

The CANAL Study (Concerted Action on Neutralizing Antibodies in severe hemophilia A) was designed to describe the relationship between treatment characteristics and inhibitor development in previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A. This multicenter retrospective cohort study investigated 366 consecutive patients born between 1990 and 2000. The outcome was clinically relevant inhibitor development, defined as the occurrence of at least 2 positive inhibitor titers combined with a decreased recovery. Eighty-seven (24%) patients developed inhibitors (69 high titer [19%]). The incidence of inhibitors appeared to be associated with age at first treatment, decreasing from 41% for those treated within the first month of age to 18% in those treated after 18 months; after adjustment for treatment intensity, this association largely disappeared. Surgical procedures and peak treatment moments at start of treatment increased inhibitor risk (relative risk [RR], 3.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-7.1; and RR, 3.3; CI, 2.1-5.3, respectively). Regular prophylaxis was associated with a 60% lower risk than on-demand treatment (RR, 0.4; CI, 0.2-0.8). Our findings suggest that the previously reported associated between an early age at first exposure and the risk of inhibitor development is largely explained by early, intensive treatment. The latter appears to be an independent risk factor for inhibitor development. In addition, early, regular prophylaxis may protect patients with hemophilia against the development of inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: For previously untreated children with severe hemophilia A, it is unclear whether the type of factor VIII product administered and switching among products are associated with the development of clinically relevant inhibitory antibodies (inhibitor development). METHODS: We evaluated 574 consecutive patients with severe hemophilia A (factor VIII activity, <0.01 IU per milliliter) who were born between 2000 and 2010 and collected data on all clotting-factor administration for up to 75 exposure days. The primary outcome was inhibitor development, which was defined as at least two positive inhibitor tests with decreased in vivo recovery of factor VIII levels. RESULTS: Inhibitory antibodies developed in 177 of the 574 children (cumulative incidence, 32.4%); 116 patients had a high-titer inhibitory antibody, defined as a peak titer of at least 5 Bethesda units per milliliter (cumulative incidence, 22.4%). Plasma-derived products conferred a risk of inhibitor development that was similar to the risk with recombinant products (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with recombinant products, 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62 to 1.49). As compared with third-generation full-length recombinant products (derived from the full-length complementary DNA sequence of human factor VIII), second-generation full-length products were associated with an increased risk of inhibitor development (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.37). The content of von Willebrand factor in the products and switching among products were not associated with the risk of inhibitor development. CONCLUSIONS: Recombinant and plasma-derived factor VIII products conferred similar risks of inhibitor development, and the content of von Willebrand factor in the products and switching among products were not associated with the risk of inhibitor development. Second-generation full-length recombinant products were associated with an increased risk, as compared with third-generation products. (Funded by Bayer Healthcare and Baxter BioScience.).

This systematic review was designed to provide more precise effect estimates of inhibitor development for the various types of F8 gene mutations in patients with severe hemophilia A. The primary outcome was inhibitor development and the secondary outcome was high-titer-inhibitor development. A systematic literature search was performed to include cohort studies published in peer-reviewed journals with data on inhibitor incidences in the various F8 gene mutation types and a mutation detection rate of at least 80%. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) of inhibitor development for different types of F8 gene mutations were calculated with intron 22 inversion as the reference. Data were included from 30 studies on 5383 patients, including 1029 inhibitor patients. The inhibitor risk in large deletions and nonsense mutations was higher than in intron 22 inversions (pooled OR = 3.6, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.3-5.7 and OR = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.8, respectively), the risk in intron 1 inversions and splice-site mutations was equal (pooled OR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6-1.5 and OR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6-1.5), and the risk in small deletions/insertions and missense mutations was lower (pooled OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.6 and OR = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.4, respectively). The relative risks for developing high titer inhibitors were similar.

The objective of this study was to examine the association of the intensity of treatment, ranging from high-dose intensive factor VIII (FVIII) treatment to prophylactic treatment, with the inhibitor incidence among previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A. This cohort study aimed to include consecutive patients with a FVIII activity < 0.01 IU/mL, born between 2000 and 2010, and observed during their first 75 FVIII exposure days. Intensive FVIII treatment of hemorrhages or surgery at the start of treatment was associated with an increased inhibitor risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.0). High-dose FVIII treatment was associated with a higher inhibitor risk than low-dose FVIII treatment (aHR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0-4.8). Prophylaxis was only associated with a decreased overall inhibitor incidence after 20 exposure days of FVIII. The association with prophylaxis was more pronounced in patients with low-risk F8 genotypes than in patients with high-risk F8 genotypes (aHR, 0.61, 95% CI, 0.19-2.0 and aHR, 0.85, 95% CI, 0.51-1.4, respectively). In conclusion, our findings suggest that in previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A, high-dosed intensive FVIII treatment increases inhibitor risk and prophylactic FVIII treatment decreases inhibitor risk, especially in patients with low-risk F8 mutations.

It has been suggested that plasma-derived factor VIII products induce fewer inhibitors than recombinant factor VIII products. We investigated the relationship of factor VIII product type and switching between factor VIII products with the risk to develop inhibitors. This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 316 patients with severe hemophilia A born between 1990 and 2000. The outcome was clinically relevant inhibitor development, defined as the occurrence of at least 2 positive inhibitor titers with decreased recovery. The risk of inhibitor development was not clearly lower in plasma-derived compared with recombinant factor VIII products (relative risk [RR], 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-1.3). Among high-titer inhibitors, the possible reduction in risk was even less pronounced (RR, 0.9; CI, 0.5-1.5). Plasma-derived products with considerable quantities of von Willebrand factor (VWF) carried the same risk for inhibitor development as recombinant factor VIII products (RR, 1.0; CI, 0.6-1.6). Switching between factor VIII products did not increase the risk for inhibitors (RR, 1.1; CI, 0.6-1.8). In conclusion, our findings support neither the notion that plasma-derived factor VIII products with considerable concentrations of VWF confer a lower risk to develop inhibitory antibodies than recombinant factor VIII products, nor that switching between factor VIII product brands increases inhibitor risks in previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A.