Psychometric Validation of the Haemo-QOL-A in Participants with Hemophilia A Treated with Gene Therapy

Three-year outcomes of valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene therapy for hemophilia A

BACKGROUND

Valoctocogene roxaparvovec transfers a human factor (F)VIII coding sequence into hepatocytes of people with severe hemophilia A to provide bleeding protection.

OBJECTIVES

To present 3-year efficacy and safety in the multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial.

METHODS

GENEr8-1 enrolled 134 adult males with severe hemophilia A who were receiving FVIII prophylaxis. Efficacy endpoints included annualized bleeding rate, annualized FVIII utilization, FVIII activity (chromogenic substrate assay; imputed as 1 IU/dL at baseline and 0 IU/dL after discontinuation), and the Haemophilia-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults. Safety was assessed by adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

At week 156, 131 of 134 participants remained in the study; overall, 17 of 134 resumed prophylaxis. Mean annualized bleeding rate for treated bleeds decreased from 4.8 (SD, 6.5) bleeds/y at baseline to 0.8 (SD, 2.3; P < .0001) bleeds/y after prophylaxis (prophylaxis cessation to last follow-up) and 0.97 (SD, 3.48) bleeds/y during year 3. Annualized FVIII utilization decreased 96.8% from baseline after prophylaxis and 94.2% during year 3. At week 156, mean and median FVIII activity were 18.4 (SD, 30.8) and 8.3 IU/dL, respectively. FVIII activity decrease was lower between years 2 and 3 than between years 1 and 2. At the end of year 3, clinically meaningful improvements in the Haemophilia-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults Total Score were observed (mean change from baseline, 6.6; 95% CI, 4.24-8.87; P < .0001). Mild alanine aminotransferase elevations remained the most common AE during year 3 (23.7% of participants). A serious AE of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was considered unrelated to treatment.

CONCLUSION

Hemostatic efficacy was maintained, and safety remained unchanged from previous years.

Observational cohort study of long-term outcomes of liver transplantation in haemophilia

INTRODUCTION

Gene therapy is now a reality for individuals with haemophilia, yet little is known regarding the quality-of-life impact of factor correction. As few data exist, and recognizing the analogy to liver transplantation (OLTX), we identified OLTX+ and OLTX- men in the ATHNdataset to compare post-OLTX factor VIII and IX on quality of life (QoL) by Haem-A-QoL and PROMIS-29.

METHODS

OLTX- were matched to OLTX+ by age, race, and haemophilia type and severity. Deidentified demographic data, including post-transplant factor levels, genotype and target joint disease were analysed by descriptive statistics. Haem-A-Qol and PROMIS-29 were compared in OLTX+ and OLTX- by student's t-test and univariate regression models.

RESULTS

Of 86 people with haemophilia A (HA) or haemophilia B (HB) cared for at 10 haemophilia treatment centers (HTCs), 21 (24.4%) OLTX+ and 65 (75.6%) OLTX- were identified. OLTX+ and OLTX- had a similar frequency of target joint disease (p = .806), HA genotypes, null versus non-null (p = .696), and HIV infection (p = .316). At a median 9.2 years post-OLTX, median FVIII, .63 IU/mL [IQR 0.52-0.97] and FIX, .91 IU/mL [IQR .63-1.32], Haem-A-QoL, PROMIS-29, and HOT scores were comparable. Severe HA/HB had lower post-OLTX 'dealing with haemophilia' scores (p = .022) and higher 'sports and leisure' (p = .010) and 'view of yourself' scores (p = .024) than OLTX+ non-severe participants. Non-caucasian OLTX+ had significantly lower scores in sports and leisure (p = .042), future expectations (p = .021) and total score (p = .010).

CONCLUSION

Nine years after OLTX, QoL is comparable to OLTX-, but significantly better in OLTX+ with severe than non-severe disease and in caucasians than non-caucasians.

Health-related quality of life following valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene therapy for severe hemophilia A in the phase 3 trial GENEr8-1

BACKGROUND

Severe hemophilia A (HA) negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to analyze HRQOL in adult men with severe HA without inhibitors after valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene transfer in the phase 3 trial GENEr8-1.

METHODS

Participant-reported outcomes were the hemophilia-specific quality of life questionnaire for adults (Haemo-QOL-A), the EQ-5D-5L instrument, the Hemophilia Activities List (HAL), and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Hemophilia Specific (WPAI+CIQ:HS). Participants completed the questionnaires at baseline and through 104 weeks postinfusion with 6 × 1013 vg/kg of valoctocogene roxaparvovec. Scores were analyzed per participant characteristics and outcomes.

RESULTS

For 132 HIV-negative participants, mean change from baseline in Haemo-QOL-A Total Score met the anchor-based clinically important difference (CID: 5.5) by week 12; the mean (SD) increase was 7.0 (12.6) at week 104. At week 104, improvement in Consequences of Bleeding, Treatment Concern, Worry, and Role Functioning domain scores exceeded the CID (6). EQ-5D-5L Utility Index scores improved above the CID at week 52, but not at week 104. EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale and HAL scores increased from baseline to week 104. Participants reported less activity and work impairment at week 104 than baseline. Participants with problem joints had lower mean baseline Haemo-QOL-A Total and domain scores than those without them, but improved over 104 weeks, except for 11 participants with ≥3 problem joints. Participants with 0 bleeds during the baseline prophylaxis period reported Haemo-QOL-A score improvements above the CID, including in the Consequences of Bleeding domain.

CONCLUSION

Valoctocogene roxaparvovec provided clinically meaningful HRQOL improvement for men with severe HA.

Awareness of individual goals, preferences, and priorities of persons with severe congenital haemophilia A for a tailored shared decision-making approach to liver-directed gene therapy. A practical guideline

In clinical medicine, shared decision making (SDM) is a well-recognized strategy to enhance engagement of both patients and clinicians in medical decisions. The success of liver-directed gene therapy (GT) to transform severe congenital haemophilia A (HA) from an incurable to a curable disease has launched a shift beyond current standards of treatment. However, GT acceptance remains low in the community of HA persons. We argue for both persons with haemophilia (PWH) and specialists in HA care including clinicians, as needing SDM-oriented educational programs devoted to GT. Here, we provide an ad hoc outline to implement education to SDM and tailor clinician information on GT to individual PWHs. Based on routine key components of SDM: patient priorities; recommendations based on individual risk reduction; adverse effects; drug-drug interactions; alternatives to GT; and ongoing re-assessment of the objectives as risk factors (and individual priorities) change, this approach is finalized to exploit efficacious communication.

Gene Therapy for Hemophilia-Opportunities and Risks

BACKGROUND

AAV (adeno-associated virus)-based gene therapy is a new treatment for hemophilia and has recently received approval for the treatment of severe hemophilia A. It does not suffer from the limitations of the current standard treatment (regular prophylactic intravenous injections of the missing clotting factor; subcutaneous injection of a bispecific antibody in hemophilia A) and can, it is hoped, raise the concentration of the missing clotting factor over the long term. AAV-based gene therapy can only be performed once, however, because of the generation of antibodies to AAV.

METHODS

This review is based on publications retrieved by a selective search in the MEDLINE/PubMed database employing the relevant key words, supplemented by expert opinions and the recommendations of the relevant medical societies.

RESULTS

Data from non-randomized phase 1 to phase 3 trials reveal an adequate expression of factors VIII and IX in patients with mostly severe hemophilia A or B. Even though they were no longer receiving prophylactic treatment, most patients experienced a considerable reduction, by 53% to 96%, in the number of bleedings compared to previous therapy. Persistently elevated factor levels have been described for up to six years in hemophilia A and up to eight years in hemophilia B. The most common side effect of gene therapy is an inflammatory response with elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (17% to 89%, depending on the study), which may be associated with a reduced clotting factor level and requires treatment with transient immunosuppression.

CONCLUSION

Gene therapy for hemophilia holds out the prospect of freedom from hemorrhage without the need for regular treatment with drugs. The various steps that need to be carried out in gene therapy should be coordinated in a graded and partly overlapping integrated care model (a so-called hub-and-spoke model). Electronic platforms should be used for data acquisition and transmission.

Gene therapy for hemophilia: looking beyond factor expression

Hemophilia A (factor VIII [FVIII] deficiency) and hemophilia B (factor IX [FIX] deficiency) are the X-linked recessive bleeding disorders that clinically manifest with recurrent bleeding, predominantly into muscles and joints. In its severe presentation, when factor activity is less than 1% of normal, hemophilia presents with spontaneous musculoskeletal bleeds and may progress to debilitating chronic arthropathy. Management of hemophilia has changed profoundly in the past decades. From on-demand to prophylactic factor concentrate replacement, the treatment goal shifted from controlling bleeds to preventing bleeds and improving quality of life. In this new scenario, gene therapy has arisen as a paradigm-changing therapeutic option, a one-time treatment with the potential to achieve sustained coagulation FVIII or FIX expression even within the normal range. This review discusses the critical impact of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer in hemophilia care, including the recent clinical outcomes, changes in disease perceptions, and its treatment burden. We also discuss the challenging scenario of the AAV-directed immune response in the clinical setting and potential strategies to improve the long-lasting efficacy of hemophilia gene therapy efficacy.