Singapore Drugs Database

Description

Antihemophilic factor human, also known as Coagulation Factor VIII or Anti-Hemophilic Factor (AHF), is a non-recombinant, lyophilized concentrate of coagulation factor VIII, an endogenous protein and essential component of the coagulation cascade. Antihemophilic factor is manufactured with reduced amounts of von Willebrand Factor antigen (VWF:Ag) and purified from extraneous plasma-derived protein by affinity chromatography. The small amount of VWF:Ag is used to purify factor VIII complex and then removed from the final preparation. The final purified concentrate contains albumin as a stabilizer.[L1053]. The complex was developed by CSL Behring or Baxter Healthcare Corporation and approved in the 90s. Endogenous Factor VIII is essential to the clotting process in the body due to its involvement in the clotting cascade where it is responsible for acting as a co-factor to Factor IX. Activation of Factor IX leads to a cascade of signals that results in activation of Factor X, which then results in the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin, and as a result, leads to the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, the fibrous protein that creates the scaffold of the clot. Replacement of Factor VIII is essential for the treatment of Hemophilia A, which is caused by mutations in the Factor VIII gene, leading to a functional deficiency or complete loss of protein. Congenital loss or deficiency of Factor VIII results in the physiologic impairment of the coagulation clotting cascade, and as a result, leads to easy bruising and bleeding. Bleeding can range in severity from minor concerns, such as nosebleeds, to more serious events such as hemorrhaging in the joints, brain, or digestive tract [A32280]. Exogenous replacement of Factor VIII is currently the cornerstone of Hemophilia treatment and is used for the prophylaxis and control of bleeding episodes. Treatment has drastically improved since the 1960s when Factor VIII protein was primarily purified from human plasma, rather than being produced through recombinant DNA technology. Unfortunately, purification of protein from human plasma carries an increased risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, which in part contributed to the Tainted Blood Scandal in the 1980s and 1990s [A31551, A32272]. Other drug products with similar structure and function to Antihemophilic factor human include [DB13999], which is produced by recombinant DNA technology and is identical in sequence to endogenously produced Factor VIII, but does not contain the B-domain, which has no known biological function and [DB11607], which is a fully recombinant factor VIII-Fc fusion protein which has an extended half-life compared with conventional factor VIII due to conjugation to the dimeric Fc domain of human immunoglobulin G1, a long-lived plasma protein [A31551]. Antihemophilic factor human is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in hemophilia A (classical hemophilia) for the prevention and control of hemorrhagic episodes [FDA Label].