In reinforcing its longstanding commitment to hemophilia awareness while driving home the need for innovation in access to hemophilia treatments, Pfizer held a media roundtable to commemorate World Hemophilia Day on 13th April, 2023.
Pfizer’s goal to make sure patients living with haemophilia are seen, heard and never forgotten as it continues to work tirelessly to find breakthrough solutions and therapeutic options to change their lives was reiterated at the media roundtable.
The media engagement on Zoom Meeting saw resources from Ghana and Nigeria on how to curb hemophilia conditions in Africa.
Hemophilia is a medical condition in which the ability of the blood to clot is severely reduced, causing the sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury.
According to them, the condition is typically caused by a hereditary lack of a coagulation factor, most often factor VIII.
Kodjo Soroh, Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa – Pfizer, in his presentation stated that Pfizer’s efforts at advancing treatment for hemophilia and bridge gaps in access to care resonates with this year’s them; “World Hemophilia Day’s (WHD) Access For All: Prevention of Bleeds”.
He asserts that; “Pfizer’s commitment to equity and continued investment in hemophilia is evident in its more than 30 years of experience in developing therapies for hematological disorders as it has a deep understanding of the significant challenges that people living with hemophilia continually face.”
“…we will continue to amplify and celebrate the work of the global hemophilia community as we create awareness on the need for innovation in access to hemophilia treatments”, he reiterated.
Prof. Akanmu Sulaimon, Professor of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the University of Lagos, also in his presentation stated that “Hemophilia, 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”.
According to him, people with hemophilia are at risk for excessive and recurrent bleeding from modest injuries which have the potential to be life-threatening.
People with severe hemophilia 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 Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, more than 38000 people worldwide were living with hemophilia B in 2021.
WFH works closely in partnership with hemophilia 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 program.
Pfizer is a visionary partner of the World Federation of Hemophilia for WHD.
Dr. Vivian Painstil, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Child Health of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and a Senior Specialist Paediatrician working at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi also shared her view saying “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”.
Adam Cuker, Director of Penn Comprehensive and Hemophilia Thrombosis Program added; “The BENEGENE-2 data demonstrate the promise of this gene therapy candidate as a potential one-time option for people living with hemophilia B as a means of reducing the clinical and treatment burden over the long term.”
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Source: Peacefmonline.com
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