Serious bleeds in pediatric persons with hemophilia A on emicizumab prophylaxis

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have shown success in bleed prevention with emicizumab, but real-world data on the effectiveness of emicizumab in preventing serious bleeds in the pediatric population are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To report real-world data on the effectiveness of Emicizumab in pediatric persons with hemophilia A. METHODS: We completed a retrospective chart review of 37 pediatric male patients aged ≤18 years on emicizumab prophylaxis for a median duration of 30.5 months at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. RESULTS: We identified 4 pediatric persons with severe hemophilia A with and without inhibitors who experienced a provoked or unprovoked serious bleed requiring hospitalization. CONCLUSION: This study highlights that serious bleeds, both provoked and unprovoked, can occur in pediatric persons with severe hemophilia A. These findings are important for clinicians to provide appropriate counseling/education and recommendation of treatment for pediatric persons with severe hemophilia A through shared decision making. Up-titration of emicizumab or factor VIII replacement needs consideration in persons with hemophilia with suboptimal bleeding control or who participate in activities categorized as moderate- to high-risk activities.