Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The World Federation of Haemophilia
(WFH) has provided with an additional 5,670 vials of Emicizumab, worth
over 161 billion VND (7.04 million USD), for the treatment of ,
according to the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion
(NIHBT).
Haemophilia is an inherited genetic disorder that impairs
the body’s ability to make blood clots, caused by decreased or abnormal
function of coagulation factors VIII and IX. It can cause a person to bleed even
without being injured for a long duration and repeat many times.
Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
the European Medicines Agency (EMA), is deemed as an innovative prophylaxis
for haemophilia A in Vietnam as the drug helps prevent and reduce the frequency
of bleeding episodes in patients. However, the drug is very expensive since it
is estimated that a 50-kg patient needs to spend around 4 billion VND worth of
the drug a year.
Last year, Vietnam received 4,410 vials of Emicizumab, worth
125 billion VND, from the WFH. The drug has been given free of charge to
patients with haemophilia A.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai from the , there are over 6,200 haemophilia
patients in Vietnam, with haemophilia A cases (related to clotting factor
VIII) accounting for 80 percent. Among them, nearly 40 percent
have not been diagnosed or treated. If haemophilia is not detected early,
diagnosed and treated properly, the bleeding episodes will deform the muscles
and joints, causing pain and difficulty in movement and affecting the quality
of the patient’s life significantly. If the bleeding occurs in risky areas, the
consequence can be fatal to the patients.
Although there is no current cure for haemophilia, early
diagnosis and appropriate treatment can help the patients maintain their health
and have an almost normal life. Injecting medicine regularly can help them
avoid the risk of bleeding in daily life./.
Source: VietnamPlus
