Hemophilia is an inherited disease that prevents the blood from clotting properly.^1,2 People with hemophilia have a deficiency of a blood protein, also called a "clotting factor," that is necessary to clot the blood and stop bleeding.³ Originally, hemophilia was thought to be a single disease. In the 1950s, two separate forms of hemophilia were discovered: hemophilia A and hemophilia B.⁴

Hemophilia A
Hemophilia A is the most common form of hemophilia, occurring in about 90% of all cases of hemophilia. People with hemophilia A, also called "classic hemophilia," have a deficiency in clotting factor VIII. The clotting factor is either missing or present at a low level.³

Hemophilia A occurs across all populations in the world, with all races affected.¹ Hemophilia A is found almost exclusively in males, occurring in about 1 in every 10,000 people.³ Approximately 18,000 individuals in the U.S. have hemophilia A.³

Matt is a healthy, active college student with hemophilia A. See Matt's story.

Hemophilia B
People with hemophilia B have a deficiency in coagulation factor IX. Hemophilia B is also called Christmas disease, named for the first person diagnosed with a factor IX deficiency.⁵ It is the second most common form of hemophilia, occurring in about 1 in 60,000 people.⁴ Like hemophilia A, hemophilia B is found almost exclusively in males.

Tyler is a three-year-old bundle of energy with hemophilia B. See Tyler's story.

Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of hemophilia A and hemophilia B are similar. They can include:

• Bleeding following injuries or surgery²
• Spontaneous bleeding (spontaneous means that the bleeding occurs without apparent cause)²
• Bruising⁶
• Pain and swelling resulting from bleeding into joints and muscles⁶
• Blood in the urine or stool⁶
• Heavy bleeding following circumcision⁶
• Unexplained nosebleeds⁶

Hemophilia is classified as mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the amount of clotting factor in the blood. Severe hemophilia is usually diagnosed during infancy; a mild form may not be diagnosed until adulthood.⁷

Indication
BeneFIX is indicated for the control and prevention of hemorrhagic episodes in patients with hemophilia B (congenital factor IX deficiency or Christmas disease), including control and prevention of bleeding in surgical settings. BeneFIX is not indicated for the treatment of other factor deficiencies (eg, factors II, VII, VIII and X) nor the treatment of hemophilia A patients with inhibitors to factor VIII, nor the reversal of coumarin-induced anticoagulation, nor the treatment of bleeding due to low levels of liver-dependent coagulation factors.

Important Safety Information

	•	As with the intravenous administration of any protein product, common adverse reactions may include headache, fever, chills, flushing, nausea, vomiting, or tiredness.
	•	BeneFIX may be contraindicated in patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to hamster protein.
	•	Allergic-type hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported for all factor IX products. Patients should be informed of the early symptoms and signs of hypersensitivity reactions. Patients should discontinue use of the product and contact their health care provider immediately and/or seek emergency care if any hypersensitivity reactions occur.

Please see BeneFIX Prescribing Information

Indication
ReFacto is indicated for the control and prevention of hemorrhagic episodes and for surgical prophylaxis and for short-term routine prophylaxis to reduce the frequency of spontaneous bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A. The effect of regular routine prophylaxis on long-term morbidity and mortality is unknown.

Important Safety Information

	•	As with the intravenous administration of any protein product, adverse reactions may include headache, fever, chills, flushing, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, or symptoms of allergic reactions.
	•	The remote possibility exists for hypersensitivity to non-human mammalian proteins. Known hypersensitivity to mouse or hamster proteins may be a contraindication to the use of ReFacto.
	•	Allergic reactions such as hives, itching, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, light-headedness and anaphylaxis have been reported for all factor VIII products. Patients should discontinue use of the product and contact their health care provider immediately and/or seek emergency care if any of these symptoms occur.

Please see ReFacto Prescribing Information

The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace personal discussions between health care providers and patients. All decisions about patient care must be made with a health care provider who can assess the special needs of each individual patient.