Efficacy and safety of full-length pegylated recombinant factor VIII with extended half-life in previously treated patients with hemophilia A: comparison of data between the general and Japanese study populations

Rurioctocog alfa pegol (BAX 855) is a novel third-generation recombinant factor VIII whose active ingredient is chemically modified with polyethylene glycol. A global multicenter phase 2/3 study of the product in 137 patients (including 11 patients from Japan) with severe hemophilia A aged 12–65 years, reported an extended half-life and a good tolerability profile, as well as a significantly lower annualized bleeding rate in the prophylactic treatment arm than in the on-demand treatment arm. Using descriptive statistics, a post hoc analysis was performed to compare the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy profiles of the product in the Japanese subpopulation and the overall population. Extended half-life was demonstrated in the Japanese subpopulation. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] annualized bleeding rates in the prophylactic treatment arm were 3.7 (4.7) for the overall population (n = 120) and 4.0 (3.4) for the Japanese subpopulation (n = 11). The proportion of bleeds reported as excellent or good was 94.9% (149/157) in the overall population, whereas that in the Japanese subpopulation was 92.3% (12/13). No FVIII inhibition or anaphylactic reaction was reported in the Japanese subpopulation. The post hoc comparisons demonstrated similar pharmacokinetic, safety, and efficacy profiles between the overall population and the Japanese subpopulation.