KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CSL Behring announced today that the company will continue its ongoing commitment to the global coagulation disorders community with a donation of product to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). The donation, provided in connection with World Hemophilia Day on April 17, supports WFH's Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) program aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of bleeding disorders in developing countries.
"As we enter our fifth year of supporting GAP, CSL Behring is proud to continue its strong commitment to the global coagulation disorders community," said Paul Perreault, CEO and Managing Director of CSL Behring. "CSL Behring and WFH are partners who share the goals of improving the lives of patients with bleeding disorders and making a meaningful difference in those regions of the world where management of VWD and hemophilia is a poorly met need."
In 2009, CSL Behring was the first manufacturer in the world to commit to a three-year contract with WFH to aid the GAP program with coagulation factor donations. The donations were made in installments of 2 million international units three times during the life of the contract, for a total volume of 6 million international units (IUs). CSL Behring has since renewed its product donation contract with WFH, for the period 2013 through 2015.
CSL Behring's most recent donation includes more than 650,000 international units of product used in treating von Willebrand Disease (VWD) and hemophilia. Product making up the donation has been manufactured at CSL Behring's Broadmeadows plant in Australia, and the CSL Behring plant in Marburg, Germany, using plasma collected by CSL Plasma in the United States.
"We take great pride in the progress of the GAP program and are grateful for the generous donations made by CSL Behring," said Alain Weill, President of the WFH. "We look forward to our continued partnership as we strive to help fulfill our commitment to introduce clotting factor concentrates in developing countries where these products might not otherwise be available."
About Hemophilia and von Willebrand Disease
Hemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. In nearly all cases, it affects only males. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX. Hemophilia A affects approximately 1 in 5,000 to 10,000 people. Hemophilia B affects approximately 1 in 25,000 to 50,000 people. The recommended treatment for people with hemophilia deficiency is to treat by replacement factor therapy.
Von Willebrand disease, the most common hereditary bleeding disorder in the United States, affects approximately 1 to 2 percent of the U.S. population.1 It is caused by a deficiency or abnormality of the von Willebrand factor, a protein in the blood that is necessary for normal blood clotting. Men and women are equally likely to be affected by VWD. VWD is classified by type of defect, ranging from Type I (the most common and mildest) to Type III (the least common and most severe).
VWD is caused by a deficiency or abnormality of VWF, a protein in the blood that is necessary for normal blood clotting. Factor VIII replacement therapy, which is also part of the CSL Behring donation, works by replacing the VWF/FVIII complex that is deficient or defective in patients with VWD. The concentrate is purified from pooled human plasma from many carefully screened plasma donors and contains the clotting proteins VWF and FVIII.
About the Global Alliance for Progress
The Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) is a 10-year healthcare development project, launched in 2003. GAP's goal is to greatly increase the diagnosis and treatment of people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders in developing countries.
The program aims to close the gap between the number of people born with hemophilia and those who reach adulthood, the gap between the estimated and actual number of people diagnosed with bleeding disorders, and the gap between the volume of treatment product needed versus what is available. GAP partners include CSL Behring and other companies, the Jan Willem Andre de la Porte Family Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO). Twenty countries have participated in GAP: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia and South Africa. Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Honduras are the first new countries to participate in the GAP Second Decade program.
About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, has worked to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it is a global network of patient organizations in 122 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization. Visit WFH online at www.wfh.org
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide. CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns. CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
Contact:
Sheila A. Burke, Director, Communications & Public Relations
Worldwide Commercial Operations CSL Behring
C: 484-919-2618
O: 610-878-4209
Sheila.Burke at cslbehring.com
SOURCE CSL Behring