Efficacy and safety of prophylaxis with BAY 81‐8973 in Chinese patients with severe haemophilia A enrolled in the LEOPOLD II trial

INTRODUCTION: BAY 81‐8973 (Kovaltry(®)) is a full‐length, unmodified recombinant human factor VIII approved in China for prophylaxis and on‐demand treatment in patients with haemophilia A. Limited access to FVIII prophylaxis in China has historically led to this population being undertreated. This subanalysis of LEOPOLD II investigated whether the efficacy and safety of BAY 81‐8973 varied between Chinese and non‐Chinese patients. AIM: To evaluate BAY 81‐8973 efficacy and safety in Chinese patients. METHODS: LEOPOLD II enrolled males aged 12‒65 years with severe haemophilia A who were receiving on‐demand treatment. Patients were randomly assigned to receive BAY 81‐8973 as low‐dose prophylaxis (20‒30 IU/kg twice‐weekly), high‐dose prophylaxis (30‒40 IU/kg 3 times weekly) or on‐demand for 1 year. RESULTS: Data were available from 23 Chinese and 57 non‐Chinese patients; Chinese patients had a higher prestudy bleeding rate and were more likely to have target joints than non‐Chinese patients. 74% of patients were assigned to prophylaxis. Annualized bleeding rates (ABRs) in Chinese and non‐Chinese patients receiving prophylaxis were significantly lower compared to patients treated on‐demand. Median ABRs for all bleeds in the last 6 months of the study were 2.0 and 1.0 for Chinese and non‐Chinese patients, respectively, in the combined prophylaxis groups, and 61.3 and 58.5 in the on‐demand group. A treatment‐related adverse event occurred in 1 Chinese patient; no patients developed FVIII inhibitors. CONCLUSION: BAY 81‐8973 prophylaxis was efficacious and well tolerated in Chinese patients with severe haemophilia A, with ABRs comparable to those in non‐Chinese patients receiving prophylaxis.